http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientific understanding and medical treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced significantly over the past several years, but much remains to be done, say experts from the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who published a scientific review of the field today. http://www.physorg.com/news174751538.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:30:02 EST news174751538 Ask middle-school students if they are popular or make friends easily, they likely will depend on social comparisons with their peers for an answer. Such reliance on the perceived opinions of others, or reflected self-appraisals, has long been assumed, but new evidence supporting this claim has now been found in the teen brain. http://www.physorg.com/news166866792.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:10:01 EST news166866792 (PhysOrg.com) -- Our tendency to see people and faces as individuals may explain why we are such experts at recognizing them, new research indicates. This approach can be learned and applied to other objects as well. http://www.physorg.com/news165170630.html Medicine & Health Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:44:33 EST news165170630 The antidepressant citalopram does not appear to reduce the occurrence of repetitive behaviors in children and teens with autism spectrum disorders, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://www.physorg.com/news163093138.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:39:21 EST news163093138 The twiggy boy who greets strangers at his Cedar Hill, Texas, home with a handshake and an impish grin bears no resemblance to the toddler who shied away from contact, screamed when he had to walk down the stairs and spent hours staring at the ceiling fan. http://www.physorg.com/news159107746.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:36:25 EST news159107746 During the first week of class, the teens' eyes were downcast, their responses were mumbled and eye contact was almost nonexistent. By Week 12, though, these same kids were talkative, responsive and engaged. http://www.physorg.com/news158340517.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:28:58 EST news158340517 A paper published online today in Nature Neuroscience reveals the presence of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) in glia. MeCP2 is a protein associated with a variety of neurological disorders, including Rett Syndrome, the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. The researchers show that MeCP2-deficient astrocytes (a subset of glia) stunt the growth of neighboring neurons. Remarkably, these neurons can recover when exposed to normal glia in culture. http://www.physorg.com/news154610775.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:48:25 EST news154610775 A new screening method can be used to detect the chromosomal abnormalities most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders. By screening for genetic defects associated with various kinds of cognitive impairment, the approach described in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics will help clinicians identify the underlying causes of some patients' autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). http://www.physorg.com/news143350510.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:35:10 EST news143350510 The autistic disorder was first described, more than sixty years ago, by Dr. Leo Kanner of the Johns Hopkins Hospital (USA), who created the new label 'early infantile autism'. At the same time an Austrian scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that became known as Asperger Syndrome, characterised by higher cognitive abilities and more normal language function. Today, both disorders are classified in the continuum of 'Pervasive Developmental Disorders' (PDD), more often referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). http://www.physorg.com/news139488217.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:43:37 EST news139488217