Science Media Centre

A new study in the BMJ found a small increase in the rate of autism in children whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy The UK SMC prepared a ‘before the headlines’ analysis of the paper, along with expert reaction. The analysis, and the researchers themselves, highlighted the small increase in absolute risk: 95% of the women […]

A review paper published in Child Development claims that exposure to electromagnetic fields and radio-frequency radiation – via wireless technology – may be linked to neurodevelopmental problems in children. The paper does not include any new data, but reiterates data from previous papers linking electromagnetic fields (EMF) and pulsed radiofrequency radiation from wireless devices to ADHD and autism in children. […]

Independent experts are unconvinced by unpublished research reporting a link between expecting mothers’ levels of folate – a vitamin pregnant women are encouraged to take – and autism in children. Pregnant women are encouraged to take the B vitamin folate, as deficiency is linked to the development of lethal or debilitating birth defects. However researchers […]

Autism researchers have launched a new campaign aiming to draw together scientists, health professionals and the community from across New Zealand to facilitate understanding and treatment options for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Minds for Minds campaign aims to bring together people with an interest in autism from around the country,  raise funds for research and […]

A Swedish study has found that IVF treatment is not associated with increased risk of developing an autistic disorder, however it was associated with a small but statistically significantly increased risk of mental retardation. The authors note that the prevalence of these disorders was low, and the increase in absolute risk associated with IVF was […]

New research published in the leading journal Nature has started the difficult process picking apart the underlying genetic factors that contribute to Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Although it is well accepted that genetics make a strong contribution to ASD, most of the underlying causes remain unknown. In addition, despite the identification of specific […]

A British doctor found guilty of serious professional misconduct over the MMR controversy has won his High Court appeal against being struck off, but experts stress that the ruling doesn’t reflect a change in thinking regarding the vaccine. Prof John Walker-Smith, a colleague of Dr Andrew Wakefield,  was involved in research which supposedly identified a […]

The British Medical Journal has described Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 study, in which the MMR vaccine was linked to autism, as an ‘elaborate fraud’. An editorial in the journal stated that the results of his experiment were not simply a product of mistake,  and that his ‘misreporting was gross’.  It is thought that his motivation may […]

Lancet kills MMR paper 10 years on The move by London-based medical journal The Lancet to retract a ten year old paper that suggested a potential link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children effectively ends one of the longest running medical controversies of recent decades. The retraction from The Lancet editor Richard Horton […]

3 News covers the formal retraction by prestigious journal The Lancet of Andrew Wakefield’s controversial paper claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. There are still concerns, however, that even this step will not convince parents that the vaccine is safe. (See video here)