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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Sarah DeWeerdt

Contributing Writer, Spectrum

Sarah DeWeerdt is a Seattle-based freelance science writer specializing in biology, medicine and the environment. Her work has appeared in publications including Nature, Newsweek, Conservation and Nautilus. She has been a regular contributor to Spectrum since 2010, writing conference reports, news and Deep Dive articles.

Contact Info

[email protected]

November 2023
Close-up of a green glass slide embedded with dozens of tiny electrodes.

Making cancer nervous

by  /  13 November 2023

Nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body can turbocharge tumor growth — a finding that not only expands conventional ideas about the nervous system but points to novel therapeutic targets for a range of malignancies.

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April 2023
Research image showing FOXP1 gene expression in female zebra finch brains.

Lacking autism-linked gene, female birds tune out favorite songs

by  /  21 April 2023

The gene, FOXP1, influences an animal’s motivation to listen to social communication, a new study suggests.

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Research video of a zebrafish larva (zoomed in on the gut) being given glucose.

On the periphery: Thinking ‘outside the brain’ offers new ideas about autism

by  /  13 April 2023

Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.

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November 2022
Still image from video of zebrafish swimming in small enclosures.

Zebrafish social behavior swims into mainstream

by  /  17 November 2022

New studies bolster the idea that zebrafish models can say something meaningful about social behavior in autism.

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An older woman with gray hair sits on a couch and speaks with a clinician.

Brain’s memory center flags autistic adults at risk for cognitive decline

by  /  17 November 2022

Brain scans of the hippocampus reveal autistic people who are at increased risk of cognitive problems as they get older.

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A white mouse sits on a nest against a blue background.

Mouse models help sniff out olfactory differences in autism

by  /  16 November 2022

A range of presentations at Neuroscience 2022 tie atypical social behavior to trouble discriminating between odors in the animals.

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A grid of clocks placed over a colorful gene sequence.

Autism-linked genes clock daily oscillations

by  /  14 November 2022

Rhythmic variations in the genes’ brain expression levels may help explain the sleep problems that often accompany the condition.

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Single astrocyte on black background.

Mouse studies cast astrocytes as stars of sensory perception

by  /  13 November 2022

Data from two separate research teams suggest the cells are key to sensory hypersensitivity in fragile X syndrome.

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September 2022
Constantina Theofanopoulou strikes a dancer's pose in her lab.

Beyond the bench: Learning new moves with dancer-scientist Constantina Theofanopoulou

by  /  13 September 2022

Theofanopoulou shares how flamenco stepped up the pace of her social-communication research, and what’s behind the ‘no fear’ ethos in her new lab.

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August 2022
On the left hand side are several abstract and blurry red and blue blobs. On the right hand side are a series of red and blue dots.

Machine learning streamlines neuroimaging data analysis

by  /  15 August 2022

The method could boost reproducibility across brain imaging studies of autism.

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