Spectrum: Autism Research News

Neurons with a faulty copy of SETD1A, a gene tied to autism and schizophrenia, show structural abnormalities and altered connectivity patterns.

The animals recall fear more readily if a set of inhibitory neurons in the hippocampus is switched on.

Autism may involve different levels of RNA isoforms encoded by genes in the brain, which express many more proteins than previously thought.

Compared with a previous mouse strain, a new model better reflects some of the difficulties that people with a rare autism-related syndrome experience, and may help identify biomarkers of the syndrome.

Autistic people have a higher-than-average chance of developing a neurodegenerative condition, according to a few studies. Some scientists are searching for proof — work that could also improve care for older autistic adults.

Mock viral infections impair social memory in mice with a mutation tied to autism, and autistic boys are more likely than their non-autistic peers to have had serious infections early in life.

Deleterious mutations in an autism-associated gene can make neurons hyperexcitable, raising the risk of epileptic seizures.

The software compares gene expression in cells derived from organoids with a reference atlas of the developing mouse brain.

Many of the genes strongly linked to autism are involved in the remodeling of chromatin, the complex of DNA and proteins that makes up chromosomes. Scientists are just beginning to understand why.

Merging 3D clusters of neurons that mimic different brain regions models the atypical electrical activity seen in an autism-related condition.