autism

Testicular cancer is a type of cancer that affects the testicles, the male reproductive organs that produce sperm and hormones. This type of cancer is relatively rare, but it is the most common cancer in males aged 15-35. Symptoms of testicular cancer may include a lump or swelling in the testicle, pain or discomfort in the testicle, and a heavy feeling in the scrotum.According to a recent study conducted by scientists at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital, men with neurodevelopmental disorders, including…

This story was originally published in Group Therapy, a weekly newsletter answering questions sent by readers about what’s been weighing on their hearts and minds. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.If there’s anything this newsletter has repeatedly taught me, it’s that our minds are so much more complex than we can imagine. There’s so much we don’t know, and whatever we think we know will evolve with time.I’m so grateful for how your questions let me poke around the largely unknown corners of the mind. For example, I…

Scientists used MRI scans of children with isolated fetal ventriculomegaly and found evidence supporting an association between the condition and autism traits. The study followed two groups of children, those with a normal fetal brain MR assessment and those with isolated ventriculomegaly, and conducted developmental assessments at ages 2 and primary school age. The results could improve family counseling, early identification, and intervention. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings in a larger…

This story was originally published in Group Therapy, a weekly newsletter answering questions sent by readers about what’s been weighing on their hearts and minds. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.Instagram and TikTok have been flooded with content made for and by neurodivergent people in recent years. In turn, many people have come across these videos and had life-changing realizations that they might be autistic or have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder themselves — especially women, nonbinary folks and…

Scientists have identified a link between lithium levels in a Denmark's water supply and an increased chance of children later receiving an autism diagnosis.While the study of 52,706 kids isn't enough to prove that lithium is directly causing autism, the possibility is worthy of further investigation.A naturally occurring element and a medication commonly used to treat mood disorders, lithium has previously been associated with miscarriages and cardiac malformations in newborns. This is the first time an association has…

A UCLA-led study discovered a link between increased lithium levels in tap water and a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring of pregnant women exposed to it. The highest lithium levels were associated with a 46% higher autism risk compared to the lowest levels.For the first time, researchers report a possible link between autism and lithium in the water supply.A study led by a <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div…

What is Autism?Autism is a lifelong neurological condition that manifests during early childhood, irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status. The term Autism Spectrum refers to a range of characteristics, according to the UN website. Dr Bannerjee says that a triad of three conditions will only determine if a person has autism. Either missing will not be understood as belonging to the neurodivergent spectrum of autism.  The triad includes:…

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with many factors contributing to its onset. Researchers often use mouse models, such as BTBR/J, to study the disorder. Recently, an international research collaboration made significant discoveries in autism onset using BTBR/J and BTBR/R mice. They found that endogenous retrovirus activation increases a fetus’s susceptibility to autism and that BTBR/R mice display autistic-like behaviors without reduced learning ability, making them a more accurate autism model. These…

To transform reality into the mental landscape that occupies out minds, our brain performs a multitude of operations. Some are short-cuts; assumptions that become obvious the moment we attempt to make sense of the conflict presented in an optical illusion.For individuals with autism, those short cuts and mental operations could work a little differently, subtly influencing how the brain constructs a picture of everyday life.With this in mind, scientists have turned to optical illusions to better understand…

In a new study, a drug that blocks sodium channels was shown to curb autism-associated behaviors such as hyperactivity in mice. The drug, lamotrigine — sold under the brand name Lamictal among others — is a medication that is currently used to treat epilepsy and stabilize mood in bipolar disorder.The behavioral disorders observed in autism are associated with a multitude of genetic alterations. Scientists from the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research (HITBR) have now found another molecular cause for this…