Science Newsfrom research organizations Tools help identify patients at risk for autism spectrum disorders
A new study, published online in Pediatric Neurology , evaluated children with TSC, which causes malformations and tumors in the brain and other vital organs and has a high prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). "Single gene syndromes with a high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as TSC, provide unique opportunities to investigate the underlying biology a nd identify potential treatments for ASD," says Jamie Capal, MD, a neurodevelopmental and autism specialist in the Division of Neurology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and lead author of the study. "These disorders provide populations in which ASD symptoms can be identified and measured before the formal diagnosis of ASD is made." Capal led the study of 79 children up to 24 months old. These children with TSC are part of a larger group of children enrolled in the TSC Autism Center of Excellence Research Network (TACERN). This is a multicenter study to identify bio...