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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Katie Moisse

Contributing editor

Katie Moisse is contributing editor and former news editor at Spectrum.  She teaches science communication at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has a Ph.D. in neuropathology from the University of Western Ontario and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.

Contact Info

[email protected]

March 2024
Three researchers, one wearing movement-tracking devices, walk around a university campus.

‘Into the wild’: Moving studies of memory and learning out of the lab

by  /  4 March 2024

People with electrodes embedded deep in their brain are collaborating with a growing posse of plucky researchers to uncover the mysteries of real-world recall.

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June 2023
Research image comparing microglia with serotonin receptors to those without.

Serotonin powers pruning of developing brain circuits in mice

by  /  28 June 2023

Mice with microglia missing receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin since birth have too many synapses and show social difficulties in adulthood.

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Illustration of mitochondria as a kind of Stonehenge, with the shapes standing upright, casting shadows, against a blue sky.

Mitochondria mediate effects of PTEN mutations

by  /  26 June 2023

Whole-genome sequencing data — which include information about mitochondrial DNA — offer clues to why mutations in the same gene can lead to autism or cancer.

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Mice socialize in an enclosure

Neurons in thalamus sort new social cues from familiar ones

by  /  20 June 2023

A subset of thalamic neurons support an aspect of social behavior called social recognition, according to experiments in mice.

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A brain slice under a microscope.

Preprint questions validity of postmortem brain studies

by  /  5 June 2023

But the alternatives, including living-brain biopsies, raise logistical and ethical questions, experts say.

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August 2021
Mom and toddler with audio recording device

Video: Wearable sensors pick up early signs of autism

by  /  30 August 2021

Audio and motion-sensor recordings offer a remote window into a baby’s first years and make it easier for families to participate in research.

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April 2021
VItamin and probiotic supplements float in space with food colored pink and green on black

The gut’s connection to autism

by  /  21 April 2021

Autistic children are up to four times as likely as their non-autistic peers to have digestive problems, and several small studies show they may also have atypical microbial communities living in their guts.

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May 2018
Blood vessels seen at magnification.

Human ‘mini-brains’ make themselves at home in mice

by  /  23 May 2018

Spheres of brain cells derived from people and implanted into mouse brains recruit blood vessels and integrate with mouse neurons.

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November 2017
jumping mouse in the wild

Drug cocktail curbs repetitive jumping in mice

by  /  15 November 2017

A trio of drugs eases repetitive behaviors in mice by activating a brain region involved in motor control.

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Mapping the connections between brain regions in mice can reveal which ones are strengthened by a drug.

Mouse imaging study hints at how fragile X drug trial went wrong

by  /  15 November 2017

The drug mavoglurant has no effect on a brain circuit involved in social behavior in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. That may explain its poor performance in people with the condition.

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