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Get some zzzzzz’s

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Sleep is a huge problem in ASD. But is it just “sleep” or can we get more specific? What role do genetics have? And does being autistic make sleep problems worse? Answers come from an unlikely source: mice! Learn more about recent scientific evidence tying sleep problems to ASDs and neurodevelopmental disorders. These include: type of sleep problems autistic people face, why they exist, where they come from, and how mouse models can help solve them.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6639428/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.559694/full

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30737588/

https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-021-00426-w

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33549123/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.62086

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How you doin’?

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We are now about 8 months into the pandemic and the effects of social distancing. How are families doing? What are scientists doing to understand the effects and ways to help families in the future? This podcast describes four international studies that addressed what families were experiencing and how they were coping. A list of references is below:

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/9/2937/htm

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32899799/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32503172/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32808424/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32939917/

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Psychiatric decompensation and autism: Two words you never want to hear together

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A series of three scientific articles explore the link between the onset of psychiatric symptoms in adolescence in people with Phelan McDermid Syndrome, or PMS.  PMS is caused by a mutation in the SHANK3 gene, leading to a wide range of medical, behavioral and intellectual challenges, as well as autism spectrum disorder.  Scientists used a broad literature review as well as the PMS patient registry to better describe what was going on, and a group at Duke compiled a case series of girls affected that were responsive to treatment.  While so far this decompensation as a result of onset of psychiatric illness has only been documented in PMS, families across the spectrum should be aware so they can seek immediate help for their child if they see similar symptoms.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32050889

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31879555

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32015180

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“ASADHD” – where does ASD and ADHD join together, and go their separate ways?

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One the surface, symptoms of ADHD and ASD may seem very similar.  However, they come from very different places.  The genetic and behavioral makeup may be on the same spectrum across the two disorders, but they are actually farther apart than you might think.  Dr. Meghan Miller from UC Davis MIND Institute who studies both ADHD and ASD and people with ADHD and ASD explains what those differences and similarities are, how to make the right diagnosis, and what’s on the horizon for treatments for ADHD in people with ASD.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31974800

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30535156

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30658861