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Children who later develop autism are exposed to elevated levels of steroid hormones (for example testosterone, progesterone and cortisol) in the womb, according to scientists from the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge and the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. ̽»¨Ö±²¥finding may help explain why autism is more common in males than females. However, the researchers caution it should not be used to screen for the condition.

New study examines thousands of brains from two decades of research to reveal differences between male and female brain structure.

Scientists have confirmed that variations in a particular gene play a key role in the autism spectrum condition known as Asperger Syndrome. They have also found that variations in the same gene are also linked to differences in empathy levels in the general population. 

People with autism are more likely to also have synaesthesia, suggests new research in the journal Molecular Autism.

New research sheds light on previously under-researched area of study – females with autism.

Girls with anorexia nervosa show a mild echo of the characteristics of autism, suggests new research in the journal Molecular Autism.

Research provides important insight into ‘systemizing’ theory of autism.

A new study from Utrecht and Cambridge Universities has for the first time found that an administration of testosterone under the tongue in volunteers negatively affects a person’s ability to ‘mind read’, an indication of empathy. ̽»¨Ö±²¥findings are published this week in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cambridge researchers are pioneering a new test for autism in the womb, by measuring the levels of testosterone produced by the foetus, which makes its way into the amniotic fluid. They hope to test if children who later develop autism have unusually high levels of testosterone between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Research at Cambridge ̽»¨Ö±²¥'s Autism Research Centre (ARC) has found that exposure to high levels of testosterone in the womb is related to the development of autistic traits.