Overview: A new review published in last month’s issue of Molecular Psychiatry highlights the fact that research efforts to study physiological abnormalities in autism are increasing.

Background: The authors of the study completed a literature search of papers published between 1971 and 2010 in four major areas of autism research, including immune system dysregulation, cellular oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and environmental toxicant exposures.

What's new: The authors found that publication rates for studies that investigate the role of the immune system, cell function, and environmental toxins in the development of autism increased. In contrast, the publication rate for studies examining cellular damage in the brain or theory of mind have slowed or even decreased. Overall, the researchers found that genetic studies still remain the largest segment of autism research.

The Trends

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