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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.

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October 2019

Mock flu triggers changes in brain, behavior of monkeys

by  /  20 October 2019

Marmosets exposed to a mock infection in the womb have altered vocal development and diminished social interest; exposed macaques show changes in brain structure and function.

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Transplanted neurons rescue social behavior but not brain circuits

by  /  20 October 2019

Injecting cells called interneurons into the brains of a mouse model of autism restores typical social behavior. But the reason for this effect is a puzzle.

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Looking directly in the eyes engages region of the social brain

by  /  20 October 2019

The social brain has a sweet spot that activates when people look each other in the eyes but not when they look at eyes in a video.

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Study finds unexpected role for top autism gene

by  /  14 October 2019

SETD5, a leading candidate for autism risk, may control thousands of genes by modifying a protein involved in packaging DNA.

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Songbirds speak volumes about language learning, autism

by  /  11 October 2019

A new study supports the view that songbirds offer a good model to study speech learning in autistic children.

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August 2019

Mouse squeaks may be poor analog for human speech

by  /  16 August 2019

The brain areas involved in mice’s ultrasonic vocalizations may not be the same as those that govern human speech.

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June 2019
Video of three mice running on a wheel

Mechanical tracker measures social activity of multiple mice for days

by  /  28 June 2019

A new system enables researchers to automatically track the social behavior of up to four mice for days at a time.

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Group of children walking in the countryside in Vietnam.

Large survey of children hints at true autism prevalence in Vietnam

by  /  10 June 2019

Less than 1 percent of young children in northern Vietnam have autism, but this prevalence is higher than in previous reports.

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May 2019

The signaling imbalance theory of autism, explained

by  /  1 May 2019

The signaling imbalance theory holds that the brains of autistic people are hyper-excitable because of either excess neuronal activity or weak brakes on that activity.

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February 2019
Close up of mouse shows whiskers

Four sets of mice call popular autism theory into question

by  /  25 February 2019

An analysis of four mouse models negates certain assumptions underlying the signaling imbalance theory of autism.

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