Complexity Digest 2004.46 - 10

15-Nov-2004

Assault On Autism - Scientists Target Drugs And Other Environmental Agents, Science News Bookmark and Share

Excerpts:
Steady Progress. Ben Bakter, who has autism, works with therapist Denise Jennings. C. Bakter, NAAR
They knew of experiments showing that rats exposed to terbutaline before birth had brain abnormalities. More recently, they completed a yet-unpublished clinical study that found a higher-than-expected incidence of autism in both children in sets of fraternal twins whose mothers also took terbutaline during pregnancy. (...)

This research reflects a shift in scientific thinking about what causes autism, and a push to look harder at potential environmental influences.