In a video interview at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Joseph Buxbaum discussed the importance of mice with mutations in SHANK3, a leading autism candidate gene.
A protein involved in the cascade of interactions at the junctions between neurons points to a potential therapy for fragile X syndrome, according to unpublished data presented at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Mice that have an excess of the Rett syndrome protein MeCP2 have biochemical and neuronal characteristics that are strikingly similar to those of mice that completely lack the protein, according to unpublished research described Sunday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
In a video interview at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Janine LaSalle makes a case for the importance of the methylome in autism research.
Male zebra finches have high levels of contactin associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2), a protein that has been linked to autism and language disorders, in a key song-related area of their brains, according to unpublished research presented in a poster session Sunday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Non-verbal children with autism show structural differences in key language areas of the brain compared with controls, according to a poster presented Saturday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
A protein linked to language development, FOXP2, regulates the autism candidate gene MET, according to a study published 10 August in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Autism studies tend to focus on one part of the spectrum, often excluding those who also have other conditions such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or intellectual disability. The result, some experts say, is piecemeal findings that don’t fit together to generate a whole picture.
Large-scale patterns of methylation throughout the genome affect the expression of many autism-related genes and may contribute to the disorder’s development, according to a study published online Friday in Genome Research. The study is among the first to look at genome-wide patterns of methylation in brain cells.
A plan by an American Psychiatric Association revision committee to remove Rett syndrome from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has sparked concern among some parents and researchers. But proponents of the change say the plan has been widely misunderstood, and their goal is better treatment for people with the neurodevelopmental disorder.
