http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In small, early clinical trials, adults and children with autism and Fragile X syndrome have shown improved communication and social behavior when treated with acamprosate, according to Craig Erickson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and chief of the Riley Hospital for Children Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Indiana University Health. http://phys.org/news221132807.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:46:59 EST news221132807 Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have shown, for the first time, how our brain 'wiring' develops in the first few months of life. Using a new imaging technique, the scientists monitored the formation of insulating layers around nerve cells, a process called myelination, which is vital for normal brain function. Damage to the myelination process is believed to contribute to a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism and intellectual disability. http://phys.org/news214142722.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:05:48 EST news214142722 Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a drug that improves communication between nerve cells in a mouse model of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS). Behavioral symptoms of PMS fall under the autism spectrum disorder category. The research will be presented Friday at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Philadelphia. http://phys.org/news193576396.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 May 2010 12:14:05 EST news193576396 An international consortium of genetics experts has issued a consensus statement recommending chromosomal microarray (CMA) as the new standard practice for genetic evaluation of children with unexplained developmental delay, autism or birth defects. http://phys.org/news192975659.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 May 2010 13:50:33 EST news192975659 TORONTO - For the second time in as many months the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has signed a licensing agreement with US-based Athena Diagnostics Inc. to market a new genetic test. http://phys.org/news186418558.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:10:01 EST news186418558 (AP) -- Don't say "mental retardation" - the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome - call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut. http://phys.org/news185007072.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:51:36 EST news185007072 The American Psychiatric Association today released the proposed draft diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The draft criteria represent content changes under consideration for DSM, which is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health and other health professionals, and is used for diagnostic and research purposes. http://phys.org/news185002498.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:50:01 EST news185002498 A gene involved in some forms of intellectual disability has been identified by scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), as published this month in The American Journal of Human Genetics. The gene is called TRAPPC9. http://phys.org/news180101256.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:30:04 EST news180101256