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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Angie Voyles Askham

News Writer

Angie Voyles Askham is a reporter for Spectrum, where she covers neural circuits and gene therapy, among other topics. She proposed and writes Spectrum Launch, a monthly newsletter for early-career researchers. Before joining Spectrum in 2020, she worked in radio journalism and academic publishing. Voyles Askham has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from NYU and a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Vanderbilt University. You can email her at [email protected] or find her on Twitter @avaskham.

Contact Info

[email protected]

August 2022

Promising preclinical results prompt Angelman therapy trial

by  /  25 August 2022

Roche’s gene therapy drug Rugonersen boosts expression of the protein missing in the syndrome in mice and monkeys, but whether it works in people remains to be seen.

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A large MRI scan of a human brain, with a grid of 15 smaller MRI scans to its left

Chromosome 22 mutations leave telltale marks on brain development in autistic people

by  /  24 August 2022

Many brain regions develop differently between people with 22q11.2 duplications and deletions, and those trajectories also vary with a person’s diagnosis.

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Several strands of DNA with different openings at different points to show different functions for the same gene at different points in time

‘Double duty’ autism-linked genes upend conventional characterizations

by  /  23 August 2022

What these genes do and how they affect autism depends on when in development they’re studied, despite what classic ‘gene ontology’ analyses say.

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Week of AugustAug
15th
2022

Spotted around the web: Antidepressants, PAX5 mutations, preprints

by ,  /  19 August 2022

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 15 August.

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Week of AugustAug
8th
2022

Spotted around the web: Neuroscience tools, cerebellar enhancers, private equity

by , ,  /  12 August 2022

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 8 August.

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An Ultragenyx employee removes materials from a lab freezer.

Angelman therapy appears safer in restarted trial

by  /  5 August 2022

Interim results from the previously paused trial suggest that doses of the experimental gene therapy drug GTX-102 are well tolerated in children with the autism-linked condition.

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Illustration shows a road going into the distance, seen from the driver's point of view.

Spectrum Launch: How to break down biases in neuroscience

by  /  4 August 2022

Through a website called Stories of Women in Neuroscience, Nancy Padilla-Coreano aims to shift biases in the field, one conversation at a time.

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Of mice and human interneurons: A Q&A with Moritz Helmstaedter

by  /  1 August 2022

People’s brains have a larger network of inhibitory interneurons than mouse brains do, according to a new study. Changes to that network could contribute to autism or other conditions, says lead investigator Moritz Helmstaedter.

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July 2022
Concept illustration of DNA deletion: 2 DNA strands extend horizontally across a burnt orange background. The bottom is intact, while there are gaps in the top strand.

Deletions on chromosome 22 have ripple effects across genome

by  /  20 July 2022

Deletion of the 22q11.2 chromosomal region alters the expression of numerous autism- and schizophrenia-linked genes, most of which are not contained within the deleted region, a new study suggests.

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Timing is key in treating sensory traits in fragile X

by  /  11 July 2022

An experimental drug improves sensory sensitivities in fragile X model mice — but only if it’s administered after certain brain circuits have formed, according to a new unpublished study.

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