The Neuroscience Of Autism

Autism is no longer considered a rare disease, and the Center for Disease Control now estimates that upwards of 730,000 children in the US struggle with this isolating brain disorder. New research is leading to greater understanding of and ability to treat the disorder at an earlier age. It is hoped that further genetic and imaging studies will lead to biologically based diagnostic techniques that could help speed detection and allow early, more effective intervention. Edited by two leaders in the field, this volume offers a current survey and synthesis of the most important findings of the neuroscience behind autism of the past 20 years. With chapters authored by experts in each topic, the volume explores etiology, neuropathology, imaging, and pathways/models. Offering a broad background of ASDs with a unique focus on neurobiology, the volume offers more than the others on the market with a strictly clinical focus or a single authored perspective that fails to offer expert, comprehensive coverage. Researchers and graduate students alike with an interest in developmental disorders and autism will benefit, as will autism specialists across psychology and medicine looking to expand their expertise. Uniquely explores ASDs from a neurobiological angle, looking to uncover the molecular/cellular basis rather than to merely catalog the commonly used behavioral interventions Comprehensive coverage synthesizes widely dispersed research, serving as one-stop shopping for neurodevelopmental disorder researchers and autism specialists Edited work with chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe - the broadest, most expert coverage available

Taking an all-inclusive look at the subject, Understanding Autism: From Basic Neuroscience to Treatment reviews state-of-the-art research on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of autism. The book addresses potential mechanisms that may underlie the development of autism and the neural systems that are likely to be affected by these molecular, genetic, and infectious etiologies. It reviews key findings that inform diagnosis, epidemiology, clinical neuroscience, and treatment. The book concludes with a discussion of the economic cost of autism and provides a biomedical and public health perspective of the impact of this devastating disease. With chapters authored by clinical and basic researchers at the forefront of molecular and systems neuroscience, clinical neuroscience, and health economics, the book presents a powerful and comprehensive synthesis of current research on autism and its underlying neural substrates. The book's two editors are considered elite pioneers in this area of research. Dr. Rubenstein was recently elected to the highly prestigious Institute of the Medicine, an honor reserved for those most committed to professional achievement and public service.

This is the first book to present the movement approach to autism in a comprehensive way, integrating scientific methods and results with the experience of affected people, ways to improve their experiences, and the societal integration of autism.

Using the tools of neurological analysis, this book explores a number of problem areas in the field of autism, including the connections with Asperger syndrome, the question of whether autism is a reversible condition, & whether autism is a single illness or should be seen as a spectrum?

This volume in the International Review of Neurobiology is a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research into autism pathophysiology. Its chapters cover a wide range of etiologies, from genetics and development to environmental factors. In addition, it discusses key cell and behavioral phenotypes, including cortical and cerebellar phenotypes, as well as language and motor outputs. Finally, this volume's chapters on gene expression in the brain describe how genes may be connected to phenotypes in autism. Broad coverage of genetic and cellular phenotypes in autism Focused on basic research Chapters primarily written by new investigators with a fresh perspective on the biological underpinnings of autism

For this long-anticipated new edition, neurologists Margaret L. Bauman and Thomas L. Kemper bring together leading researchers and clinicians to present the most current scientific knowledge and theories about autism. "Anyone doing research in autism or other developmental disorders will find this an invaluable book to read to make sure all areas are understood and to serve as a rich source of references." -- American Journal of Psychiatry

How we perceive and interpret the actions of others is crucial if we are to develop into healthy adults. It has even been argued that a lack of social cognitive skills lays a strong foundation for a variety of atypical developmental disorders, including autism. Fortunately, our understanding of how humans process and interpret each other's actions has increased by leaps and bounds in the past decade. At the vanguard of these encouraging developments has been groundbreaking research in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and autism. Social Cognition: Development, Neuroscience and Autism is the first volume to fully integrate these areas of cutting-edge research on social cognition through contributions from some of the world's foremost experts in all three disciplines. The text is edited by distinguished development specialists who preface each section with chapter by chapter summaries that seamlessly link each of the contributing essays. Sections include related chapters on perspectives on social cognition, social cognition during infancy, social cognition and the adult brain, and social cognition: the challenge of autism. The text's final section serves as a commentary highlighting the fundamental issues that have been addressed in the text. Social Cognition: Development, Neuroscience and Autism is an indispensable addition to the rapidly expanding field of social cognition—and will provide valuable new insights on how we think and learn.

The Neuroscience of Autism provides a comprehensive accounting of autism spectrum disorders by integrating scientific findings from behavioral, cognitive and neurobiological research. The book begins by defining autism, identifying characteristics and prevalence, exploring its history, and then moving on to the cognitive and social bases of behavioral symptoms, the brain bases of behavioral and cognitive symptoms, and finally, intervention practices. It examines theoretical models such as weak central coherence, enhanced perceptual functioning, and the extreme male brain hypothesis. Finally, the book addresses the increased attention on the brain connectivity model of autism, looking at the synchronization of brain activity across different brain areas, the causal influence of a brain region on another, and white matter cable connections in the brain. Delves into the increasing prevalence of autism in the United States Focuses on screening tools for early identification Discusses the neuroanatomical differences seen in individuals with autism Examines the inferences gained from functional MRI studies of autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Perspectives from Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience, offers a guide to understanding and treating the ASD toddler from the dual perspectives of psychoanalysis and neurofunction through describing in great detail intensive treatments of four children who began therapy as toddlers. The authors hypothesize that dyadic therapy and Reflective Network Therapy can impact a child by modifying the biochemistry of the brain, resulting in alteration of emotion and cognition. Their chapter on neurobiological mechanisms of change describes these hypotheses in depth.

Autism is no longer considered a rare disease, and the Center for Disease Control now estimates that upwards of 730,000 children in the US struggle with this isolating brain disorder. New research is leading to greater understanding of and ability to treat the disorder at an earlier age. It is hoped that further genetic and imaging studies will lead to biologically based diagnostic techniques that could help speed detection and allow early, more effective intervention. Edited by two leaders in the field, this volume offers a current survey and synthesis of the most important findings of the neuroscience behind autism of the past 20 years. With chapters authored by experts in each topic, the volume explores etiology, neuropathology, imaging, and pathways/models. Offering a broad background of ASDs with a unique focus on neurobiology, the volume offers more than the others on the market with a strictly clinical focus or a single authored perspective that fails to offer expert, comprehensive coverage. Researchers and graduate students alike with an interest in developmental disorders and autism will benefit, as will autism specialists across psychology and medicine looking to expand their expertise. Uniquely explores ASDs from a neurobiological angle, looking to uncover the molecular/cellular basis rather than to merely catalog the commonly used behavioral interventions Comprehensive coverage synthesizes widely dispersed research, serving as one-stop shopping for neurodevelopmental disorder researchers and autism specialists Edited work with chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe – the broadest, most expert coverage available

This volume covers several perspectives on autism which bring together the most recent scientific views of the nature of this disorder. A number of themes organize major developments and emerging areas in autism: Cognitive and neural systems development: how autism arises in the behavior and thought of very young children. Discovering brain mechanisms underlying social and cognitive deficits in autism: how we can explain "social awkwardness" and poor language comprehension in terms of malfunctions of brain mechanisms, revealed by fMRI studies of people with autism. Integrating information about genes, brain, and biological mechanisms with behavioral evidence. Linking the science of autism with lives lived: how the new information about autism impacts people with autism and real-world considerations.

The Neuropsychology of Autism provides an up-to-date summary on the neuropsychology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), written by leaders in the field. It summarizes current knowledge about neurochemistry, neuroanatomy, genetics, and clinical presentations and provides helpful discussions on key functions such as language, memory, attention, executive functions, social cognition, motor and sensory functioning.

Autism is an emerging area of basic and clinical research, and has only recently been recognized as a major topic in biomedical research. Approximately 1 in 150 children are diagnosed as autistic, so it is also an intense growth area in behavioral and educational treatments. Financial resources have begun to be raised for more comprehensive research and an increasing number of scientists are becoming involved in autism research. In many respects, autism has become a model for conducting translational research on a psychiatric disorder. This text provides a comprehensive summary of all current knowledge related to the behavioral, experiential, and biomedical features of the autism spectrum disorders including major behavioral and cognitive syndromology, common co-morbid conditions, neuropathology, neuroimmunology, and other neurological correlates such as seizures, allergy and immunology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, and epidemiology. Edited by three leading researchers, this volume contains over 80 chapters and nine shorter commentaries by thought leaders in the field, making the book a virtual "who's who" of autism research. This carefully developed book is a comprehensive and authoritative reference for what we know in this area as well as a guidepost for the next several years in all areas of autism research.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) constitute a major public health problem, affecting one in every 150 children and their families. Unfortunately, there is little understanding of the causes of ASD, and, despite their broad societal impact, many people believe that the overall research program for autism is incomplete, particularly as it relates to the role of environmental factors. The Institute of Medicine's Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders, in response to a request from the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, hosted a workshop called "Autism and the Environment: Challenges and Opportunities for Research." The focus was on improving the understanding of the ways in which environmental factors such as chemicals, infectious agents, or physiological or psychological stress can affect the development of the brain. Autism and the Environment documents the concerted effort which brought together the key public and private stakeholders to discuss potential ways to improve the understanding of the ways that environmental factors may affect ASD. The presentations and discussions from the workshop that are described in this book identify a number of promising directions for research on the possible role of different environmental agents in the etiology of autism.

Cognitive Plasticity in Neurologic Disorders makes clear that the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of neurologic disorders and syndromes are dynamic and changing. Each chapter describes the neuroplastic processes at work in a particular condition, giving rise to these ongoing cognitive changes.

The development of the young brain after birth and the emergence of cognitive capacities, mind, and individuality rest on the maturation of a dense net of synaptic connections between neurons. Memory Makes the Brain describes the dramatic, competitive elimination of surplus synapses that occur in the young, maturing brain — in a process called synaptic pruning that was discovered by pediatric neurologist Peter Huttenlocher in the 1970's at the University of Chicago. Explaining similarities between developmental pruning and learning processes in the adult brain, neurobiologist Christian Hansel offers a unique perspective on brain adaptation and plasticity throughout lifetime, at times weaving in personal accounts and memories. The cellular plasticity machinery that enables learning is known to be affected in brain developmental disorders such as autism. Memory Makes the Brain explains how both maturation and adult synaptic plasticity are deregulated in autism, and how we begin to trace back autism-typical behavioral abnormalities to such synaptopathies.

Rev. ed. of: Biology of the autistic syndromes / Christopher Gillberg, Mary Coleman. 3rd ed. 2000.

Offers the latest research and science on autism, including new neuroimaging and genetic research that provide new theories on what causes autism spectrum disorders as well as new ways to treat and diagnose them.

What do we mean by "behavioral neuroscience?" This volume aims at providing an overview of behavioral neuroscience and deepening neuronal mechanisms and brain circuits that regulate the fundamental aspects of human behavior, such as cognitive and emotional functions. It is intended to give the reader the most up-to-date vision of how the interaction between biological mechanisms and neurocognitive processes leads to complex and highly organized behaviors.In recent years the strong impulse given to research on behavioral neuroscience has produced a large literature that documents the high level of complexity of the issue, for which it is necessary to provide a reasoned multidimensional analysis able to integrate the expertise of different disciplines.The book offers an excellent synopsis of perspectives, methods, empirical evidences, and international references. Therefore, it represents an extraordinary opportunity to target neuroscientific hot topics and to outline new horizons in the study of the relationship between brain and behavior.

For years, the typical presentation of autism—the developmental delays, the social and linguistic deficits—has been well known. Despite great variation among children with this condition, certain symptoms are considered hallmarks of the disorder. Less understood is why these symptoms come together to construct autism. And as autism rates continue to rise, this information is ever more vital to accurate diagnosis and treatment. Autism and the Brain offers answers by showing a new neuropsychology of the autistic spectrum, reviewing general brain organization, and relating specific regions and structures to specific clinical symptoms. The author identifies deficiencies in areas of the left-hemisphere associated with the self and identity as central to autism. From this primary damage, the brain further reorganizes to compensate, explaining the diverse behaviors among low- and high-functioning individuals as well as autistic savants. The result is a unique three-dimensional view of brain structure, function, and pathology, with in-depth focus on how the autistic brain: Perceives the world. Understands and uses words. Perceives faces. Understands spatial relations and numbers. Understands feelings and registers emotions. Perceives the self as separate from others. Acts in the world. Challenging readers to re-think their assumptions, Autism and the Brain is breakthrough reading for researchers, clinicians, and graduate students in fields as varied as child and adolescent psychiatry; clinical child, school, and developmental psychology; neuroscience/neurobiology; special education and educational psychology; social work; communication disorders; and public health and policy.