Tag Archives: Tourette
Stem cell therapy for autism – first clinical trial
A paper just out from the Shenzen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute in Guangdong, China presents the first results of a proof-of-concept, safety trial of stem cell (SC) injections in 37 autistic children. The justification for this intervention is primarily … Continue reading
Important message from the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health
Thanks to ADResearchInitiative blog for the tip on this message. On another note, our family is off to E Africa for 3 weeks to give lectures (me, viruses and mental health; wife Carolyn, special education) in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. … Continue reading
“Infectious Behavior” blog – 2012 in review
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 16,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals Click here to see the complete report.
PANDAS child trapped in Boston Children’s Hospital
Amazing story in the Boston Globe about what can happen if a child with PANDAS is put into the wrong hospital – one that does not agree with the PANDAS diagnosis. PANDAS is short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with … Continue reading
Live chat on Autism Speaks Facebook Tue, 8/29
I’ll be answering questions and discussing the NYT article on immune involvement in autism tomorrow, 8/29, 3pm EDT: https://www.facebook.com/autismspeaks?ref=stream&sk=app_226961267321617 So it turned out than an hour was no where near long enough to answer all the questions. Therefore, I’ll attempt to … Continue reading
Visual map coding nature versus nurture across England
O.S.P. Davis and colleagues at King’s College, London just published a provocative paper that aims to plot on a map of England the geographic distribution of the relative contributions of genetics and environment to 45 different childhood cognitive and behavioral … Continue reading
Social networks in the news
Forget the Facebook IPO – check out the cover story in the June issue of Scientific American – “The ultimate social network – researchers who study the friendly bacteria that live inside all of us are starting to sort out … Continue reading
Autism mtg Tomorrow; Pandas mtg in Sept
At least for those of you who live in SoCal, there are 2 mtgs of interest to the public coming up: Sat, May 5, 1-2;30pm, Calif Sci Center, next to the Natural History Museum and the Coliseum Autism: An Epidemic … Continue reading
Of Mice and PANDAS
There is evidence from studies of PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders) and possibly also Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder and Syndenham’s chorea, that streptococcus infection can lead to repetitive/stereotyped behaviors and tics. The fact that treatment with strong antibiotics or … Continue reading