Mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2 have broad defects in their oxytocin system, according to research presented Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans. Treatment with oxytocin alleviates social deficits in these mice.
The brain’s response to biological motion can distinguish typically developing children from those who have a sibling with autism but do not have the disorder themselves, according to research presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
A cholesterol-lowering drug called lovastatin prevents seizures in mice that model fragile X syndrome, according to a poster presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Rats lacking FMR1, the gene mutated in people with fragile X syndrome, do not learn to discriminate between human speech sounds like control rats do, according to research presented Monday evening at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Sensory illusions are much more than just parlor tricks or diversions, says Carissa Cascio. In a video interview with SFARI.org at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, she explains why sensory illusions work, and what they might be able to teach us about autism.
The first wave of data from the Human Connectome Project, a five-year $30 million effort to map the structure of the human brain, is now freely available, researchers announced at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Children with autism are less susceptible to an illusion involving sight and touch, according to unpublished research presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Treatment with a single bacterial species curbs anxiety and repetitive behaviors and boosts vocalizations in a mouse model of autism, according to a poster presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
The amygdala, an almond-shaped nub of brain tissue that processes emotions, has specialized neurons that respond to facial expressions and eye contact, according to unpublished work presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
An in-depth analysis of tissue from a large number of autism brains eases some of the qualms about their use in research, according to a poster presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.