The sperm of old mice has an unusual epigenome, the profile of chemical modifications to the underlying DNA code, according to a poster presented Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans. The findings suggest an explanation for the so-called paternal age effect in autism.
People with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, which causes severe intellectual disability and is often accompanied by autism, also have a blunted response to pain. New research on a mouse model of the syndrome, presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, aims to find out why.
A small pilot study suggests that the drug propranolol, typically used to treat hypertension and anxiety, enhances functional connectivity between brain regions and improves verbal fluency, according to research presented Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Temple Grandin, perhaps the world’s most famous person with autism, has exceptional nonverbal intelligence and spatial memory, and her brain has a host of structural and functional differences compared with the brains of controls, according to a presentation Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Astrocytes, star-shaped brain cells that support neurons, may be needed for mice to learn motor skills, according to unpublished research presented Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Star-shaped cells in the brain wrap themselves around synapses, the junctions between neurons, and influence their development. In a video interview Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans, Ben Barres discusses the possible role of astrocytes in autism.