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Genes and Environment, Genes and Environment. Go together like aging and retirement.

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Twins with autism, where either one or both is diagnosed, is crucial to understand the role of genetics and the environment to both autism diagnoses and now, autism traits.  In a study this week, researchers using data from the California Twins Study examined the genetic and environmental influences of brain development in multiple regions and measures.  While estimates of genetic and environmental influences can only be modeled in twins, they can be experimentally tested in animal models.  Researchers at the University of Washington investigate what causes the link between air pollution in humans and autism by studying diesel fuel exhaust in pregnant mice.  Finally, across all of these disparate animal studies – does anything pull them together.  Are these models all one-offs or do they have anything in common?  It turns out disruption in normal brain activity is one thing that they have in common, and something that is at the common core of ASD neurobiology.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30659287

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30668980

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30679017

 

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The latest on complementary and alternative medicines

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Even though many parents of kids with autism and  autistic adults are using cannabis (THC and CBD) and cannabidiols (CBD only), these treatments are technically illegal.  So how are pediatricians discussing these options with their patients when asked?  A few pediatricians from states where it is legal for adults to obtain cannabis containing products weigh in on what they say, how they communicate, and what is ethical to explain in what circumstance.  Also, new findings from an imperfect, but medically supervised, study on stem cell therapies in autism.  Findings are interesting but should be judged with caution.  Links to the articles are below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30610100

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30620122

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Understanding the hard to research

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What do Princess Kate and Amy Schumer have in common, and what does it have to do with autism?  The answer:  Hyperemesis Gravidum.  It’s linked to autism, but not strongly, but it does show more evidence of significant overlap between many neuropsychiatric issues and disorders.

More importantly though, those with low verbal ability and low cognitive function are harder to study than most people with autism.  Two new research studies documented what they had to do to make studies in this population possible, and how this group was different from those with average IQ and some words.  One looked at brain structure, and the other was a treatment for minimally verbal girls with autism.

The HG study:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30594672

The minimally verbal girls study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30607780 

The imaging study:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6307191/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6307191/