The following is under construction, and is mostly very old.
Some very recent material however...
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Very important paper!
"Time to give up on a single explanation for autism"
in Nature Neuroscience by Plomin et al.
On dimensions of ASDs as being fractionable.
(Free through about 12/31/06. Very readable I think.)
(Could significantly change the way diagnoses are made.)
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Very important paper!
Weak coherence theory:
See the Jan 2006 coherence paper in JADD
(Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.)
Francesca Happ�1, 3 and Uta Frith2
(1) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry,
King�s College London, London, UK
(2) Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, London, UK
(3) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry,
King�s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, P.O. Box P080, SE5 8AF
London, UK
Published online: 1 February 2006
Abstract �Weak central coherence� refers to the detail-focused processing style proposed to characterise autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The original suggestion
of a core deficit in central processing resulting in failure to extract global
form/meaning, has been challenged in three ways. First, it may represent an
outcome of superiority in local processing. Second, it may be a processing
bias, rather than deficit. Third, weak coherence may occur alongside, rather
than explain, deficits in social cognition. A review of over 50 empirical
studies of coherence suggests robust findings of local bias in ASD, with
mixed findings regarding weak global processing. Local bias appears not
to be a mere side-effect of executive dysfunction, and may be independent
of theory of mind deficits. Possible computational and neural models are
discussed.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/25742773441j3085/?p=055b4f21939449fa93e083bf9ca86b92&pi=1
Closest thing perhaps to a main overall theory for cognitive
characteristics. Ties into my own thoughts on evolution of human
brain architecture. Oversimplified: Larger absolute brain size raises risk
of developing weak coherence.
------------------------------------
Very important paper!
Genetics of autism spectrum disorder, Sabine M Klauck
Eur J Hum Genet 14: 714-720; doi:10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201610
Very thick reading! Skim lightly.
Main importance is serotonin connection is here also.
Of particular interest to me are the chromosomal areas:
15q11-q13 and GABA(A) receptors.
Xp22.3 and Xq13 neuroligins.
17q11.2-q12, hyperserotonemia due to
serotonin transporter for moving serotonin back
into pre-synaptic terminal is impaired (as I read it).
And because of the evidence for rapid evolution of the
MECP2 gene and macrocephaly...
Page 715 column one.
"Approximately four times more males than females are
affected pointing towards a possible involvement of the
sex chromosomes and imprinting effects in the
aetiology of the disorder, but
no specific genes ahve been conclusively implicated
so far. Rett syndrome showing mostly female cases has a
separate status with the group of ASD, because the genetic
cause of RTT has been uncovered by the identification
of mutations in the MECP2 gene located in Xq28 in about
80% of cases."
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...and a slightly more recent article about yet another
serotonin transporter gene involved in ASDs. Presumably
a doubling up on both genes would mean exponentially greater
severity along this particular dimension of ASDs.
Serotonin-autism link through chromosome 17q21.3
Variation in ITGB3 is associated with whole-blood serotonin level and autism susceptibility
Lauren A Weiss, G�l�m Kosova, Ryan J Delahanty, Lan Jiang, Edwin H Cook Jr, Carole Ober and James S Sutcliffe
Eur J Hum Genet 14: 923-931; advance online publication, May 17, 2006; doi:10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201644
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Very important book precis with commentaries:
Pr�cis of the book:
"Principles of Brain Evolution"
Georg F. Striedter
Book lays out principles of brain evolution including aspects
about the evolution of large absolute brain sizes and some of the
consequences. Has important though not directly expressed consequences
for clinical possibilities resulting from recent brain evolution over
last 100,000 years.
-------------------------------------------------------------
various JADD abstracts I find interesting
ASD and serotonin
NIH clinical trials
ASD links and misc. that I'm sorting through
various email list postings of mine
Various internet community forums:
Asperger Information dotcom
Aspergerian Pride
review of the aspergerian pride website
Wrong Planet, website review
Other:
Gary Numan- autistic musician
Numan interview
Would you have allowed Bill Gates to have been born?
Prof G. Miller related
Miller's faculty site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabeiroi
--------------------------
Older materials left
from previous incarnations
of this index
News
ABQ Journal
LA Times
CNN
Yahoo headlines
CSPAN archives
Lycos top 50
The Nation
Progressive Magazine
American Prospect
alternet
Jewish World Review
Dept of Labor ABQ
AFL-CIO
ScienceWeek
Science Mag.
Science Now
New Scientist
CNet
zdnet
Slashdot
Freshmeat
tech news at zdnet
Krugman, Paul
Ebert, Roger
Paglia archives
Paglia, at wikipedia
Indexing/Publishing
John Bould
MIT Press
|
Brain stuff
shuffle brain
brain atlas
Quarterly Review of Biology
Science sageke
MIT's Cognet
French evpsy, Phillipe, D. Geary...
Accounting
NYC Journal
Bowman's Accounting Report
Cal CPA org
AICPA (great links)
Becker
Economics
UCSB
Bergstrom, Ted
Alaskana
Mat-Su news zine
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
U of Alaska at Fairbanks
U of AK, jobs etc.
U of AK, faculty jobs
Anchorage Daily News
|
New Mexico
yahoo group on NM
radio stations, list of
KUNM 89.9 FM
UC Santa Barbara
Main homepage
Psych department
Radio
KKOB AM talk-radio
Literature
SF site
Asimov
Turtledove, H.
Stephenson
Spinrad, Norman
Huxley, Aldous
Camus studies association
Existentialism links
|
Browsings
weird stuff
Hitler's Second Book
Islamic Society of N.Amer.
Subgenius
racism and films
Gail Vines
alibi dotcom
http://www.imprint.co.uk/
http://stevemoxon.blogspot.com/
Music
bernstein Gracious Shades Zelazny, Snowcrash,
Rev. Wiley S. Drake
Heidegger site
US Chess Organization
gamespot
Mailing Lists St Johns (including chomsky etc.)
anipike
latimes jobs
arsdigita
google groups
Family Research Council
Cathy Young at Cato
free com
Mankind Quarterly, paper about
Mankind Quarterly, paper about
Brand, Chris
eugenics net
Occidental Qtly
Comment- Washington Times messes my computer up!!
library
journal of the history of biology
xxx
Aging
Fruit fly hatchlings stripped of microbes wind up dying sooner 17 Aug... and 2004
restricted access