Valproic acid

Recent articles

Research image of a chimeroid.

Brain ‘chimeroids’ reveal person-to-person differences rooted in genetics

These fusions created from multiple donors’ organoids may help scale up comparative brain research.

By Charles Q. Choi
5 July 2024 | 4 min read
Illustration of neurons.

Chromatin remodeling tied to altered splicing in autism model

Exposing neurons to valproic acid, a well-known environmental risk factor for autism, disrupts their ability to generate different proteins from the same gene.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
7 February 2023 | 5 min read
A pregnant woman and a doctor, both masked, have a conversation in an examination room.

U.K. health authority investigates epilepsy drug’s link to autism

Prenatal exposure to topiramate increases a child’s autism odds, according to the study that prompted the inquiry, but experts caution that pregnant people with epilepsy have few other options for controlling seizures.

By Peter Hess
30 August 2022 | 4 min read
Rat neurons

Rat model of autism shows unusual brain growth at birth

The brains of rats exposed in utero to the seizure drug valproate show a significant increase in brain size around the time of birth.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
30 January 2019 | 5 min read
Siblings, a baby and a toddler, play together at home.

How pregnancy may shape a child’s autism

Autism is predominantly genetic in origin, but a growing list of prenatal exposures for mother and baby may sway the odds.

By Melinda Wenner Moyer
5 December 2018 | 17 min read

New restrictions on epilepsy drug may do more harm than good

A partial ban in Europe on the use of a drug called valproate during pregnancy could deny women effective treatment for serious conditions.

By Jessica Wright
21 June 2018 | 6 min read
Baby chick on white background.

Chick model of epilepsy-drug exposure may mimic signs of autism

Exposing fertilized chicken eggs to valproic acid, an epilepsy drug, yields chicks with apparent social deficits.

By Brianna Abbott
1 June 2018 | 2 min read

New journal; organoid ethics; acetaminophen association and more

A journal covering autism in adulthood makes its debut, researchers call for an ethical framework for human organoid studies, and the association between acetaminophen and autism risk comes under scrutiny.

By Emily Willingham
27 April 2018 | 5 min read

Fake autism claim; knocking out anesthesia; haunting milestone and more

Despite social media rumors, a British children’s television show does not cause autism; childhood anesthesia is not tied to autism risk; and an adult on the spectrum reaches a haunting milestone

By Emily Willingham
23 February 2018 | 5 min read
white lab rats piled together

Rodent ratings reveal periods of vulnerability to harmful exposures

Nongenetic rodent models most relevant to autism tend to be those exposed to environmental agents in the womb or shortly after birth.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
13 November 2017 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Colorful illustration of a latticework of proteins.

Cracking the code of the extracellular matrix

Despite evidence for a role in plasticity and other crucial functions, many neuroscientists still view these proteins as “brain goop.” The field needs technical advances and a shift in scientific thinking to move beyond this outdated perspective.

By Anna Victoria Molofsky
17 January 2025 | 5 min read
A repeated DNA strand extends farther from the left side of the image with each iteration.

Huntington’s disease gene variants past a certain size poison select cells

The findings—providing “the next step in the whole pathway”—help explain the disease’s late onset and offer hope that it has an extended therapeutic window.

By Angie Voyles Askham
16 January 2025 | 6 min read
Research image highlighting different brain regions.

X marks the spot in search for autism variants

Genetic variants on the X chromosome, including those in the gene DDX53, contribute to autism’s gender imbalance, two new studies suggest.

By Holly Barker
16 January 2025 | 6 min read