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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Jessica Wright

Jessica Wright was senior news writer at Spectrum from 2010 to 2019. Her writing has also appeared in Nature and Scientific American.

Jessica has a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University.

March 2011

Genetics: Autism language gene affects general population

by  /  8 March 2011

Genetic risk factors for specific language impairment and autism affect the timing of language learning in the general population, according to a study published in February in Genes, Brain and Behavior.

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Researchers catalog crucial complex in neurons

by  /  2 March 2011

Researchers have identified nearly 1,500 proteins present in the postsynaptic density — a complex collection of proteins that enables quick and flexible signaling across the brain. The results were published 14 January in Nature Neuroscience.

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Molecular mechanisms: Inflamed placenta linked to schizophrenia, autism

by  /  2 March 2011

Infection with swine flu in early pregnancy causes inflammation in the placenta, and raises the risk of schizophrenia and autism in the offspring, according to a study published in January in Neuropharmacology.

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Clinical research: Toe walking in toddlers signals autism

by  /  1 March 2011

Children who walk on their toes are more likely to have autism than other forms of developmental delay, according to a study published in January in The Journal of Child Neurology.

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February 2011

Painting a picture

by  /  25 February 2011

A new technique documents real-time action in neurons by harnessing the changes in light that take place when they fire.

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Genetics: Study reexamines role of 16p11.2 in autism

by  /  23 February 2011

Duplication or deletion of 16p11.2 — a much-studied chromosomal region with a strong association with autism — is present in 0.76 percent of people with the disorder, according to a meta-analysis published February in Genetics in Medicine.

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Database organizes multiple mouse models

by  /  23 February 2011

A genetic database of autism genes, called Autism Database, or AutDB, details curated information for more than 200 mouse models of autism, according to a report in the January BMC Genomics.

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Cognition and behavior: Serotonin pathway affects mouse behavior

by  /  22 February 2011

Mice that lack the gene for integrin β3, or ITGB3 — which regulates the levels of serotonin in the blood — groom themselves frequently and show less interest in stranger mice compared with controls, according to a study published in February in Autism Research as part of a special issue on mouse models in autism.

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Genetics: Centrosome gene linked to autism

by  /  18 February 2011

Rare mutations in TSGA14, a component of the centrosome — which is required for the generation of new neurons — may be associated with autism, according to a study published in January in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

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Molecular mechanisms: Mice model milder form of fragile X

by  /  16 February 2011

A partial mutation that leads to a milder form of fragile X syndrome causes deficits in learning and memory in mice, and alters the connections between their neurons, according to a study published in January in Neurobiology of Disease.

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