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Society for Neuroscience 2012

October 2012
SFN 2012

Researchers question meaning of ‘resting state’ in autism

by  /  15 October 2012

Many researchers have reported atypical brain connectivity in people with autism lying passively in a brain scanner. But those differences may be the result of what participants are thinking about, rather than of an underlying neural defect, according to a poster presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Handwriting study points to motor, memory problems in autism

by  /  15 October 2012

The wobbly handwriting of many children with autism may reflect differences in their brains’ motor and working memory systems, according to a poster presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Mouse studies point out limits of Rett syndrome treatment

by  /  15 October 2012

Mouse studies of a promising treatment for Rett syndrome, already in clinical trials, offer a note of caution about the drug’s potential. Preliminary findings from the research, presented Sunday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans, show why mouse work remains important even after clinical trials are underway.

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SFN 2012

Video: Unrolling the motor deficit in autism

by  /  15 October 2012

In a video interview at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans, Stewart Mostofsky discusses the links between social and motor skills.

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SFN 2012

New high-throughput method screens drugs for fragile X

by  /  15 October 2012

Researchers are testing a wealth of new treatments for fragile X syndrome, an inherited intellectual disability often accompanied by autism. They presented preliminary results from animal studies of several drugs, as well as an automated approach for screening compounds, Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Valium boosts sound-touch integration in autism mouse model

by  /  15 October 2012

The anxiety drug diazepam, commonly marketed as Valium, reverses deficits in sensory integration in a mouse model of autism, according to research presented Sunday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Video: Language’s variable role in autism

by  /  15 October 2012

In a video interview, Simon Fisher discusses what language genes such as FOXP2 can reveal about the nature of autism.

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SFN 2012

Social interaction may activate unique brain region

by  /  15 October 2012

A distinct region of the social brain is activated when viewing interactions between two people, according to unpublished research presented Sunday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Study tracks size of social brain areas across adolescence

by  /  14 October 2012

Researchers have charted the normal development of what’s known as the social brain from childhood to young adulthood, according to research presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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SFN 2012

Oxytocin acts on autism pathways in gut cells

by  /  14 October 2012

The hormone oxytocin modulates molecular pathways associated with autism in gut cells, according to unpublished research presented Saturday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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