UCLA study identifies new cause of autism

Link: USATODAY.com - UCLA study identifies new cause of autism.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Autistic children lack a key brain activity that helps others understand people's feelings and intentions, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience, supports evidence that neurological defects cause the social problems associated with autism, according to the researchers.

"It opens the way for new ideas and treatments and insights into autism," said Mirella Dapretto, the study's lead author and an assistant professor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.