Posts by Former NIMH Director Thomas Insel about Autism
- Something Interesting is Happening
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses how the Precision Medicine Initiative will create a new kind of patient-driven research, which is similar to how innovative companies have created a new share economy based on trust.
- Childhood and Beyond - Services Research for ASD
-
By Thomas Insel on
In his blog, Dr. Insel talks about on new NIMH grants that will support research on services for people of all ages with autism.
- Mapping the Risk Architecture of Mental Disorders
-
By Thomas Insel on
In this blog, Dr. Insel describes the results of two new genetics studies and why they are milestones in our understanding of the genetics of autism and schizophrenia.
- Autism Awareness: April 2014
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel describes new scientific findings on autism, including new CDC prevalence data, being reported just as Autism Awareness Month begins.
- Wanted: A Few Good Brains
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel explains the importance of post-mortem brain donation to research and how the new NIH NeuroBioBank initiative will support research on human brain tissue.
- One Person, Many Genomes
-
By Thomas Insel on
The discovery that mutations unique to an individual are common in the brain changes, and complicates, the search for genes underlying brain disorders.
- Getting Serious About Mental Illnesses
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel explains the nuances of the term, “serious mental illness.”
- The Four Kingdoms of Autism
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel describes how different perspectives separate the communities interested in autism, and suggests the common ground that would provide an avenue to move forward.
- Autism Progress
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel highlights key recent findings in research on autism spectrum disorders.
- Summer Science
-
By Thomas Insel on
Numerous provocative advances in neuroscience were reported during the summer of 2012.
- The New Genetics of Autism – Why Environment Matters
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses how new research may help tie together seemingly disparate findings in genetic vs environmental risk factors in autism spectrum disorders.
- Autism Prevalence: More Affected or More Detected?
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the CDC's latest report on autism prevalence.
- From Paresis to PANDAS and PANS
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the connection between mental disorders and infection in light of pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders PANS and PANDAS.
- The Long Paths to Breakthroughs
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel talks about how basic research can lead to potential treatments.
- NIMH’s Top 10 Research Advances of 2011
-
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel shares NIMH’s Top 10 Research Advances for 2011.
- Autism Spring
-
By Thomas Insel on
New studies published this Spring provide new insights into the molecular basis of autism, involving the interplay of genetic risk and environmental exposure.
- Skin cells to neurons: Disease-in-a-dish promises shortcut to discovery
-
By Thomas Insel on
An emerging research technology using Induced pluripotent stem cells holds promise as a window into the developing brain in mental illness.
- Highlights in Autism Progress -- for April, Autism Awareness Month
-
By Thomas Insel on
Today, the start of Autism Awareness Month, inspires us to focus on the highlights of our research progress, and look ahead to further strengthening our investigative efforts.
- NIMH’s Top 10 Research Events and Advances of 2010
-
By Thomas Insel on
10 breakthroughs and events of 2010 which are changing the way we approach mental disorders.
- May 6th: Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day
-
By Thomas Insel on
May is Mental Health Month and this year NIMH teams up with SAMHSA to celebrate and promote Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 6th. Dr. Insel talks about how mental illnesses are the chronic diseases of the young.
- Autism Progress
-
By Thomas Insel on
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has made a substantial commitment to research designed to discover autism’s causes and improve diagnosis and treatment. Not only has NIMH become the lead institute for autism research at NIH, we have become the largest single source of funding for autism research in the country.
- NIMH’s Response to New HRSA Autism Prevalence Estimate
-
By Thomas Insel on
On October 5, 2009, researchers with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Massachusetts General Hospital published a new estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) among children in the United States. Published online ahead of print in Pediatrics, the new estimate that roughly 1 in 90 U.S. children ages 3–17 were given an ASD diagnosis in 2007 is significantly higher than previous reports.