neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. neuroplasticity allows the neurons in the brain to compensate injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment. at the other side, it is now well established that neuronal function is strongly influenced by both cen...

background: transforming growth factor-β1 (tgf-β1) has been found to play a crucial role in early central nervous system development. several studies have illustrated decreased tgf-β1 levels in sera and brains of autistic children. two point mutations in the tgf-β1 signal peptide at 869t/c and 915g/c have been reported to influence tgf-β1 expression. the aim of the present study was to investig...

the concept of theory of mind (tom) refers to the ability to predict and explain feelings, thoughts, ideas and intentions of self and others. patients with autism spectrum disorders (asd) show a deficient development of theory of mind. specifically, individuals with autism spectrum disorders fail to understand not only that others have minds, but also that other minds have different thoughts, a...

how to cite this article: mohammadi mr, salmanian m, akhondzadeh sh. autism spectrum disorders in iran. iranian journal of child neurology2011;5(4):1-9. objective autistic disorder, asperger syndrome, and pdd-not otherwise specified are subsets of autism spectrum disorders (asds), which are characterized by impairments in social communication and stereotyped behavior. this article reviews the p...

introduction emerging hypotheses suggest a causal role for prenatal androgen exposure in some cases of autism spectrum disorders (asd). the ratios of the lengths of the bones of the 2nd to the 4th digits (2d:4d) are purported to be markers for prenatal androgen exposure and to be established early in gestation. ratio of second and fourth digits (2d:4d)  is usually used as a proxy for prenatal t...

visual memory is an important cognitive ability, which has been studied in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (asds). in such studies meaningful shapes were used more frequently. since meaningless shapes provide a better assessment of short term visual memory, in this study we used them to evaluate visual memory in children and adolescents with asds compared to the normal group.four vis...

Currently, many studies show the effectiveness of elimination (gluten-free and case-free) diets in correcting not only the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders in patients with autism but also in correcting behavioral indicators. The results of the inclusion of gluten and case free diets were analyzed in the complex of therapeutic measures in a child with autism spectrum disorders. The ...

background: previous researches have shown that children with autism spectrum disorder and mental retardation have some dysfunctions in attention and inhibition functions. the present study evaluated the performance of attention and response inhibition in autism spectrum disorders, mental retardation and normal children.  methods: the method of this study was ex post factor, so 15 children with...

abstract: aim and background: autism spectrum disorder is a complex childhood neurological disorder that affects all aspects of child development. the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention program using animals to improve cognitive, social, behavioral functioning , and communication in children with autism spectrum disorders. methods and materials: 14 child...