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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Monkey brain mapping; statistics guidance; CUL3 gene

by  /  18 August 2023

WEEK OF
August 14th

  • Clinical neurology and neuroscience journals vary in the guidance they provide prospective authors regarding how they should report their statistical methods. While some offer specific expectations, others give no guidance at all or referral to guidance published elsewhere. European Journal of Neurology
  • Writer Jennifer Senior recounts the story of her minimally verbal aunt, who was institutionalized as a toddler in the 1950s and was rarely spoken of within the family. The Atlantic
  • Cognitive neuroscientist Lucinda Uddin has received the Flux Society’s Linda Spear Mid-Career award in recognition of her research accomplishments and her skills as a mentor and communicator. Flux Society
  • Animals with diminished expression of the autism-linked gene CUL3 have cytoskeletal changes and altered neuronal growth, migration and dendrite morphology, according to a review. Frontiers in Psychiatry

    Research images of monkey brains

    Identification tags: Staining revealed the density of neurotransmitter receptors for glutamate, acetylcholine and serotonin in macaque monkey brains.

  • People with autism traits (but not a diagnosis) have difficulty recognizing facial emotions and spend less time looking at a face than people with few, if any, autism traits. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology
  • Autistic people may have greater likelihood of self-harm and suicide than non-autistic people because they are more likely to have mental health conditions. STAT
  • Children with both autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have higher anxiety levels, on average, than children with only one of those diagnoses, according to a review. Cureus
  • Quantitative analysis of the cells and cell-surface receptors in the forebrain of macaque monkeys enables characterization of 35 functional areas. eLife
  • Three more papers from the now-shuttered Maryland Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Laboratory have been retracted by their senior authors. Spectrum covered previous retractions from the same group last month.
    American Psychological Association
    American Psychological Association
    Taylor & Francis
  • Decreased connectivity between certain brain regions correlates with autism traits, according to a study in pairs of twins who have differing neurodevelopmental profiles. Scientific Reports
  • Genetics seems to underlie the association between heart and brain traits observed on MRI. Spectrum reported on heart–brain connections earlier this year. Science
  • Neurons in the nucleus accumbens play a role in social interactions and are altered in an animal model of autism, according to a preprint. bioRxiv
  • Mice missing one copy of the autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 in interneurons exhibit sensory hyper-responsiveness and learning deficits. Journal of Neuroscience
  • Excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy is associated with an elevated chance of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, according to a review of studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Cite this article: https://doi.org/10.53053/CDTB6753


TAGS:   autism