Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

News Archive

October 2022
A young girl rubs her eyes in a dark room.

Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems

by  /  18 October 2022

Compared with their unaffected siblings and unrelated controls, children with autism harbor more copy number variants in genes that govern the circadian cycle or are associated with insomnia.

Comments
Brain with a two-dimensional world map applied to its surface against a burnt pink background.

Community newsletter: Brain map; communication guide

by  /  16 October 2022

Threads on a GoogleMap for the brain and guidance on communicating with autistic people in a health-care setting garnered gobs of comments this week.

Comments
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Medication timing; oxytocin amounts; sensory sameness

by  /  13 October 2022

Parents’ health, treatment dosages and sensory perception feature in this month’s crop of null and replicated results.

Comments
A transplanted human organoid labeled with a fluorescent protein in a section of the rat brain.

Human cortical organoids forge functional circuits in rat brains

by  /  12 October 2022

The transplanted cells integrate into living animals’ neural circuitry and influence behavior.

Comments
Conceptual illustration of two DNA helixes with several overlapping portions showing common and differing genes.

Genome scan spots common variant differences between autism and ADHD

by  /  12 October 2022

Common variants in five regions of the genome may determine whether someone has one condition versus the other.

Comments
Illustration of a researcher discussing a document with policymakers.

Five tips for translating research findings into smart public policy

by  /  11 October 2022

Researchers can maximize the impact of their results by engaging policymakers more effectively.

Comments
Still image from a time-lapse video of neuronal development.

Gene in autism hotspot regulates neuronal migration

by  /  10 October 2022

Restoring the gene, TAOK2, in mice missing an autism-linked region of chromosome 16 normalizes neuronal movement during development.

Comments
3D reconstruction of mice microglia in green against a black background.

Community Newsletter: Interventions evaluated; microglia; big data analyses

by  /  9 October 2022

Our Twitter feeds were awash with research activity this week, including a review of autism intervention studies and resources to build better data-wrangling skills.

Comments
A father and son sit on a couch while a neuropsychologist sits across from them in an armchair.

Neuropsychologists launch efforts to diversify field

by  /  5 October 2022

Their plans stand to improve how autistic children from racial or ethnic minorities are evaluated.

Comments
Illustration shows a road going into the distance, seen from the driver's point of view.

Spectrum Launch: Neuropsychology’s diversity problem; the true cost of a postdoc; a bevy of job posts

by  /  5 October 2022

Two groups are working to increase representation among neuropsychology researchers, in part to improve behavioral assessments for autism.

Comments