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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Virginia Hughes

Freelance Writer, Simons Foundation

Virginia Hughes is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, New York.
November 2014

Monkey missing Rett gene prompts primate research debate

by  /  20 November 2014

Scientists have created a transgenic monkey modeling Rett syndrome, they announced yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. This model and others sparked a lively discussion about the relative value of animal models in research.

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Diabetes drug is sweet cure for fragile X in fruit flies

by  /  19 November 2014

The memory and sleep troubles that accompany fragile X syndrome originate in a glitch in insulin signaling, suggests an unpublished study of fruit flies presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The study points to a widely available diabetes treatment for the syndrome.

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Imaging lights up dynamics of neurons’ connections in mice

by  /  19 November 2014

Researchers have developed a way to capture dynamic changes in the part of the neuron that sends out signals, they reported yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Cesarean birth alters immune system, social behavior in mice

by  /  18 November 2014

Mice born via cesarean section show subtle social deficits and increased immune and stress responses, suggesting a link between microbe exposure during birth and behavior. Researchers presented the unpublished work today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Deaf mouse study hints at gap between squeaks, speech

by  /  18 November 2014

Do mice use their high-pitched vocalizations to communicate, just as people use speech? It’s not likely, according to an unpublished study of deaf mice presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Social brain is duped by fake personal interactions

by  /  17 November 2014

Believing that you’re involved in a live interaction, even when you’re not, is enough to activate the social brain, according to unpublished work presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Simple steps aim to solve science’s ‘reproducibility problem’

by  /  17 November 2014

Leaders from the National Institutes of Health and Nature Publishing Group say an array of simple reforms can boost the reliability of research findings. Their suggestions spurred a lively audience discussion yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Brains of Angelman mice show altered response to motion

by  /  16 November 2014

Mice modeling Angelman syndrome, an autism-related disorder, show abnormal brain responses when they see movement, according to unpublished work presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The next hot topic in autism research? Immune cells

by  /  16 November 2014

Some cases of autism may result from glitches in immune cells in the blood: This provocative idea stems from a series of unpublished mouse studies presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Mother’s immunity linked to brain inflammation in monkeys

by  /  15 November 2014

Monkeys exposed in utero to their mother’s immune response to a mock infection show inflammation in their brains four years later. Researchers presented the unpublished work today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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