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Spectrum: Autism Research News

News Archive

October 2022
A teacher observes young students as they play with toys at a table.

Social-pragmatic difficulties common with autism, other diagnoses

by  /  4 October 2022

A standard questionnaire can help identify social (pragmatic) communication disorder more readily in school-age children.

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A woman in a lab coat types at a computer.

New diagnostic code for PTEN syndrome may spur research

by  /  3 October 2022

The code may help scientists identify people with the autism-linked condition and recruit them into clinical trials.

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An illustration of scientists looking at a strand of DNA.

Community Newsletter: Assembloids, autism-ADHD overlap, calcium signaling

by  /  2 October 2022

Highlights this week include two gene studies — one on the role of autism-linked genes in developing interneurons and another on the genetic origins of overlapping autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

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September 2022
Brain slice of a mouse brain showing cells carrying the fragile X mutation.

Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice

by  /  29 September 2022

After a brain transplant of reprogrammed human cells, the animals can for the first time recapitulate some neuronal changes seen in people with fragile X syndrome.

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Illustration of a binocular microscope with an X Chromosome in one eyepiece and cancer cells in the other.

The cloudy connection between fragile X and cancer

by  /  28 September 2022

People with the autism-linked syndrome lack a protein implicated in several cancers, but it’s unclear whether — or how — they are protected from malignancies.

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Conceptual illustration of a door leading from one area of the brain to another area of the brain.

Autism’s genetic heterogeneity evident in brain connectivity patterns

by  /  27 September 2022

The results highlight the importance of subgrouping study participants based on their underlying genetics, the researchers say.

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Two globe and chat bubble hybrids overlap against a blue background.

Community Newsletter: Neuroscience game changers, genetics meeting highlights

by  /  25 September 2022

The talk of the Twittersphere turned around two influential neuroscience papers, plus a virtual trip to the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics.

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A pregnant woman lies in a hospital bed.

Registry review casts doubt on causal link between maternal infection and autism

by  /  23 September 2022

The long-standing link between maternal infection during pregnancy and having a child with autism may reflect common genetic or environmental factors instead.

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Set of 6 scans shows mice recovering MECP2 protein in their brainstem after being treated with RNA-editing viruses.

RNA rewrite improves breathing, survival in Rett mice

by  /  22 September 2022

The technique involves editing the cellular instructions to make MECP2 protein and partially restores its levels in the brainstem.

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A patient sits in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

Autism diagnosis in adulthood tied to increased burden of psychiatric conditions

by  /  19 September 2022

Mood, anxiety, personality and eating disorders more commonly affect autistic people diagnosed in adulthood than those diagnosed in childhood.

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