(Press-News.org) A new study at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment found that propranolol, a medication that treats high blood pressure, can also help lower anxiety for kids and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Given that some individuals with ASD tend to struggle with anxiety at a far greater rate than their neurotypical peers, the new finding can significantly help such individuals with ASD. David Beversdorf, a clinician at the Thompson Center, led the study, which involved 69 patients over a three-year span. Compared to a placebo group, the participants who received propranolol showed significantly reduced anxiety levels at their 12-week check-up appointments while receiving the medication. The study also examined if there were significant changes in the individuals' social communication skills, but no significant changes were found.
“The findings show that propranolol could serve as a helpful intervention for reducing anxiety for individuals with autism,” said Beversdorf, who also has appointments in the MU School of Medicine and the MU College of Arts and Science. “This drug has been around since the 1960s and is very inexpensive. Up until now, we haven’t had any known drugs that target psychiatric issues specifically for individuals with autism, so these results are very promising and can support future research.”
As a practicing clinician, Beversdorf has seen firsthand the positive benefits propranolol can have in improving the overall quality of life for some patients with ASD and their families.
“As researchers, we try our best to improve the lives of our patients, and it feels rewarding to help out,” said Beversdorf, who is a professor of radiology, neurology and psychological sciences as well as the William and Nancy Thompson Endowed Chair in Radiology. "I went into the field of neurology knowing I wanted to try to find new treatment options and interventions to benefit people with autism.”
“Randomized controlled trial of propranolol on social communication and anxiety in children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder,” was recently published in Psychopharmacology. Funding was provided by the United States Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.
END
MU study shows blood pressure drug can reduce anxiety for people with autism
Findings reveal propranolol may help kids and young adults with autism spectrum disorder who struggle with anxiety.
2024-01-23
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Analysis of US Census survey data reveals uptick in anxiety and depression among women in states with trigger laws post-Dobbs abortion decision
2024-01-23
An analysis of national survey data conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found a small but statistically significant increase in self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms among respondents in states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 compared to respondents in states that did not enact bans.
The Dobbs decision, handed down on June 24, 2022, overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a constitutionally protected right and returned the question of abortion regulation to individual states. The Dobbs decision ...
JMIR Publications prepares to celebrate 25 years of publishing digital health research
2024-01-23
(Toronto, January, 23, 2024) 2024 will mark the 25th anniversary for JMIR Publications, the leading open access digital health research publisher. Founded in 1999 by Gunther Eysenbach, MD, MPH, FACMI, chief executive officer and executive editor, JMIR Publications has grown to now include 35 journals that have published over 52,000 papers that have garnered over 500,000 citations and millions of views from users around the world.
JMIR Publications functions as a hub for digital health research. With its reputation for high-quality ...
Rutgers health researchers develop software to predict diseases
2024-01-23
IntelliGenes, a first of its kind software created at Rutgers Health, combines artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning approaches to measure the significance of specific genomic biomarkers to help predict diseases in individuals, according to its developers.
A study published in Bioinformatics explains how IntelliGenes can be utilized by a wide range of users to analyze multigenomic and clinical data.
Zeeshan Ahmed, lead author of the study and a faculty member at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IFH), said there currently are no AI or machine-learning ...
Innovative tech shows promise to boost rubber production in US
2024-01-23
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With disease and high demand posing threats to the world’s primary natural rubber supply in Southeast Asia, scientists are working to ramp up the U.S. rubber market by advancing methods to extract latex from two sustainable North American plant sources: a dandelion species and a desert shrub.
Researchers reported their methods to improve efficiency and increase latex yield in two recent publications, building upon decades of research led by Katrina Cornish, professor of horticulture and crop science and food, agricultural and biological engineering at The Ohio State University.
Cornish and colleagues ...
Corning uses neutrons to reveal ‘atomic rings’ help predict glass performance
2024-01-23
Glass is being used in a wider range of high-performance applications, including those for consumers and industry, military and aerospace electronics, coatings and optics. Because of the extreme precision demanded for use in products such as mobile phones and jet aircraft, glass substrates must not change their shape during the manufacturing process.
Corning Incorporated, a manufacturer of innovative glass, ceramics and related materials, invests a tremendous amount of resources into studying the stability of different types of glass. Recently, Corning researchers found that understanding the stability ...
CT-based radiomics deep learning to predict lymph node metastasis in tumors
2024-01-23
Tsukuba, Japan—Nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, while rare, are primarily treated through surgery. The presence or absence of lymph node metastasis considerably influences the selection of surgical and other treatment approaches. Particularly controversial is the necessity of surgery for tumors smaller than 2 cm as current clinical guidelines provide no clear consensus. Existing methods for preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis are inadequate.
To address the aforementioned challenge, the Tsukuba team has created a predictive model by integrating radiomics features extracted from CT and MRI images using artificial intelligence ...
Researchers find new multiphoton effect within quantum interference of light
2024-01-23
An international team of researchers from Leibniz University Hannover (Germany) and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (United Kingdom) has disproved a previously held assumption about the impact of multiphoton components in interference effects of thermal fields (e.g. sunlight) and parametric single photons (generated in non-linear crystals). "We experimentally proved that the interference effect between thermal light and parametric single photons also leads to quantum interference with the background field. For this reason, the background cannot simply be neglected and subtracted from calculations, as ...
Anxiety and depression symptoms after the Dobbs abortion decision
2024-01-23
About The Study: In this analysis of survey data from 718,000 participants from December 2021 to January 2023, residence in states with abortion trigger laws (anticipatory bans that would go into effect should Roe v Wade be overturned) compared with residence in states without such laws was associated with a small but significantly greater increase in anxiety and depression symptoms after the Dobbs v Jackson decision in June 2022.
Authors: Benjamin Thornburg, B.S., of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jama.2023.25599)
Editor’s ...
Cancer diagnoses after recent weight loss
2024-01-23
About The Study: Health professionals with weight loss within the prior two years had a significantly higher risk of cancer during the subsequent 12 months compared with those without recent weight loss in this study that included 157,000 participants. Cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract was particularly common among participants with recent weight loss compared with those without recent weight loss.
Authors: Brian M. Wolpin, M.D., M.P.H., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author.
To ...
USPSTF statement on screening for speech and language delay and disorders in children
2024-01-23
Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for speech and language delay and disorders in children 5 years or younger without signs or symptoms. Speech and language delays and disorders can pose significant problems for children and their families. Evidence suggests that school-aged children with speech or language delays may be at increased risk of learning and literacy disabilities, including difficulties with reading and writing. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services and this updated recommendation ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Post-LLM era: New horizons for AI with knowledge, collaboration, and co-evolution
“Sloshing” from celestial collisions solves mystery of how galactic clusters stay hot
Children poisoned by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has risen in the U.S. – eight years of national data shows
USC researchers observe mice may have a form of first aid
VUMC to develop AI technology for therapeutic antibody discovery
Unlocking the hidden proteome: The role of coding circular RNA in cancer
Advancing lung cancer treatment: Understanding the differences between LUAD and LUSC
Study reveals widening heart disease disparities in the US
The role of ubiquitination in cancer stem cell regulation
New insights into LSD1: a key regulator in disease pathogenesis
Vanderbilt lung transplant establishes new record
Revolutionizing cancer treatment: targeting EZH2 for a new era of precision medicine
Metasurface technology offers a compact way to generate multiphoton entanglement
Effort seeks to increase cancer-gene testing in primary care
Acoustofluidics-based method facilitates intracellular nanoparticle delivery
Sulfur bacteria team up to break down organic substances in the seabed
Stretching spider silk makes it stronger
Earth's orbital rhythms link timing of giant eruptions and climate change
Ammonia build-up kills liver cells but can be prevented using existing drug
New technical guidelines pave the way for widespread adoption of methane-reducing feed additives in dairy and livestock
Eradivir announces Phase 2 human challenge study of EV25 in healthy adults infected with influenza
New study finds that tooth size in Otaria byronia reflects historical shifts in population abundance
nTIDE March 2025 Jobs Report: Employment rate for people with disabilities holds steady at new plateau, despite February dip
Breakthrough cardiac regeneration research offers hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure
Fluoride in drinking water is associated with impaired childhood cognition
New composite structure boosts polypropylene’s low-temperature toughness
While most Americans strongly support civics education in schools, partisan divide on DEI policies and free speech on college campuses remains
Revolutionizing surface science: Visualization of local dielectric properties of surfaces
LearningEMS: A new framework for electric vehicle energy management
Nearly half of popular tropical plant group related to birds-of-paradise and bananas are threatened with extinction
[Press-News.org] MU study shows blood pressure drug can reduce anxiety for people with autismFindings reveal propranolol may help kids and young adults with autism spectrum disorder who struggle with anxiety.