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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Holly Barker

Holly Barker is a freelance writer specializing in biology, medicine and psychology. She has a Ph.D. in clinical neuroscience from King’s College London in the United Kingdom and a B.Sc. degree in biochemistry from the University of Manchester. She has previously written for Discover and BioNews. She is based in London.

May 2023
Research image of developing mouse embryos.

Medley of models reveals misbehaving pathways in autism-linked condition

by  /  4 May 2023

The largest analysis of human samples to date, plus work in mice and zebrafish, detail the gene KMT5B’s role in brain development.

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April 2023
Research heatmap showing mice associating more with familiar mice than unfamiliar ones.

Loss of autism-linked gene dampens social interactions in animals

by  /  28 April 2023

Mice and zebrafish missing the GIGYF1 gene show social traits reminiscent of autism, though the molecular underpinnings are unclear.

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February 2023

Fishing for protein partners nets clues to autism

by  /  6 February 2023

Connections between 13 autism-linked proteins and their binding partners in excitatory neurons implicate a new molecular pathway.

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January 2023
Cultured kidney cell with spike-like structures protruding from it.

Mutations in autism-linked gene cause membrane mischief

by  /  19 January 2023

Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane.

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October 2022

New RNA tool prompts protein production in select cells

by  /  28 October 2022

The technique could be used to identify and control cells involved in autism.

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A young girl rubs her eyes in a dark room.

Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems

by  /  18 October 2022

Compared with their unaffected siblings and unrelated controls, children with autism harbor more copy number variants in genes that govern the circadian cycle or are associated with insomnia.

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Still image from a time-lapse video of neuronal development.

Gene in autism hotspot regulates neuronal migration

by  /  10 October 2022

Restoring the gene, TAOK2, in mice missing an autism-linked region of chromosome 16 normalizes neuronal movement during development.

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September 2022
Brain scans demonstrating differences in mice with TBR1 mutations.

Mutation-specific models highlight autism’s heterogeneity

by  /  12 September 2022

The brains of mice carrying different mutations in the autism-linked gene TBR1 display different molecular changes yet similar structural changes, resembling those previously found in autistic people with TBR1 mutations.

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May 2022
Two people in cafe seen through window, crowded street beyond.

Autistic adults in Japan stay active in their communities, households

by  /  5 May 2022

A new longitudinal study paints a favorable picture of the outcomes for many autistic adults in the city of Yokohama.

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3D rendering of a mouse brain showing axons coming from the prefrontal cortex in various colors.

New atlas maps neuronal wiring in mouse brain

by  /  3 May 2022

The ‘projectome’ charts axonal pathways between individual cells in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region implicated in autism.

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