Autism

Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also include the related conditions Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS, which have fewer signs and symptoms. Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines; the vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and lack any convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many males as females. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved. Autism affects many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not understood. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, though some become successful, and an autistic culture has developed, with some seeking a cure and others believing autism should be tolerated as a difference and not treated as a disorder.

CART Newsletter

SPRING 2011 - Dr. Dan Geschwind, Director of the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, announces the launch of the first CART Newsletter. As Dr. Geschwind states, "Our purpose is to communicate new developments at the UCLA CART and in the field of autism research in general... We invite your feedback so that we can best provide you with what we hope will be interesting and useful information about our work." The 8-page "News from CART" can be accessed here.

SPRING 2012 -  CART Newsletter released April - Autism Awareness Month. Access a copy here - click on file below.

Famed Autism Activist Visits UCLA

Media Article Link: 
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Famed-Autism-Activist-Visits-UCLA-115352...

Autism activist Temple Grandin’s talk at UCLA was featured in a Feb. 5 KNBC-Channel 4 news segment. The event was part of the "Open Mind" speaker series, sponsored by the Friends of the Semel Institute, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness about, and reducing the stigma that is often attached to mental and neurological disorders.

Autism Risk Rises in Closely Spaced Pregnancies, Study Finds

Media Article Link: 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40990120/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

Rita Cantor, professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine and professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute, commented Jan. 10 in an MSNBC.com story on new research that suggests that autism risk triples when a child is conceived within 12 months of his or her next older sibling. The report also appeared on ThirdAge.com and the (Taiwanese) Liberty Times.

Neural stem cells maintain high levels of reactive oxygen species, UCLA study finds

For years, the majority of research on reactive oxygen species (ROS) — ions or very small molecules that include free radicals — has focused on how they damage cell structure and their potential link to stroke, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. However, researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have shown for the first time that neural stem cells, the cells that give rise to neurons, maintain high levels of ROS to help regulate normal self-renewal and differentiation. The findings, published in the Jan. 7 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, may have significant implications for brain repair and abnormal brain development.

Can Joey Make a Friend?

Media Article Link: 
http://www.semel.ucla.edu/sites/all/files/PEERS%20in%20People.pdf

Elizabeth Laugeson, clinical instructor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute and director of the Help Group-UCLA Autism Research Alliance, was featured in a Nov. 22 People magazine article about a unique class she designed to help teens with autism spectrum disorders learn to interact appropriately with their peers.

Autism Risk Gene May Generate a Tangle of Wiring the Brain

Media Article Link: 
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/11/04/autism-risk-gene-may-genera...

Discover magazine, AOL Health, Med Page Today, Asian News International, Indo-Asian News Service, Press Trust of India and the blog Left Brain Right Brain reported Nov. 4 on a UCLA study that is the first to illustrate how an autism risk gene rewires the brain. The stories quoted Susan Bookheimer, a professor of psychiatry who holds the Joaquin Fuster Chair in Cognitive Neurosciences; Dr. Daniel Geschwind, a professor of neurology and psychiatry who holds the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics; and former UCLA graduate student Ashley Scott-Van Zeeland.

UCLA study reveals how autism-risk gene rewires the brain

Many gene variants have been linked to autism, but how do these subtle changes alter the brain, and ultimately behavior? Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate how a gene variant tied to autism rewires the brain. Published in the Nov. 3 online edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, their discovery pinpoints the crucial missing mechanism that links altered genes to modified brain function and disrupted learning.

Autism Brain Secrets Revealed by Scan

Media Article Link: 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11687808

Reuters, TIME, BBC News, HealthDay News, the Toronto Star, City News (Toronto), Daily Mail (U.K.), Medical News Today and About.com reported Nov. 3 on a UCLA imaging study that is the first to show how an autism risk gene rewires the brain. The discovery provides the missing link between altered genes, modified brain function and disrupted learning.  The stories quoted Dr. Daniel Geschwind, a professor of neurology and psychiatry who holds the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics, and Ashley Scott-Van Zeeland, a former graduate student in the laboratory of Susan Bookheimer, a professor of psychiatry who holds the Joaquin Fuster Chair in Cognitive Neurosciences.