Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Chromosomal analysis of a large sample of people with neurodevelopmental conditions has revealed new hot spots — both duplications and deletions — in the 2q12.3-q13 region. Psychiatric Genetics
• Genetic screening of newborn babies for neurodevelopmental conditions holds promise, but technical and ethical aspects should be worked out in pilot trials, argues a cross-discipline group of researchers. American Journal of Medical Genetics
• Altered chromatin remodeling in microglia during early fetal development in mice may influence neuronal growth and differentiation and lead to autism-like traits. Molecular Psychiatry
• Many parents of autistic children say they experience stress, but their stress levels don’t necessarily align with the intensity of their child’s autism traits. Autism Research and Treatment
• Preschool children who have some autism traits but not an autism diagnosis appear to have increased social and emotional problems. BMC Psychiatry
• Adults with autism traits are more likely than those without to group images of objects based on shape rather than how they would use them. PLOS One
• Less than half the outpatient clinics in New York City offer mental health care to autistic youth. Autism
• People with KAT6A syndrome, an autism-linked condition, have communication difficulties that are both linguistic and motor in nature. American Journal of Medical Genetics
• Researchers have identified five microRNAs expressed in the brain that interact with autism-linked genes, according to a study in 73 New Jersey families. Genes

Science and society

• One family recounts their years-long journey to get an autism diagnosis and appropriate treatments for their child. Spectrum previously followed another family on their diagnostic odyssey and followed up with them 18 months after their son’s diagnosis. Kaiser Health News
• Autism researcher Zachary Williams, who is autistic, also enrolls in autism studies as a participant. Psychology Today
• Autism therapy company Elemy suddenly cut off treatment to families in Illinois and Georgia, citing financial pressures. Forbes
• An expert panel in Australia seeks community feedback on its draft of evidence-based guidelines for supporting autistic children and their families. Autism CRC
• The Society for Neuroscience has awarded its Peter Seeburg Integrative Neuroscience Prize 2022 to Robert Malenka, a Stanford University researcher known for his work on synaptic plasticity. Spectrum reported on Malenka’s work on serotonin in mouse models of autism last year. Society for Neuroscience
• As machine-learning methods to analyze large datasets have grown, some scientists have called for more rigor and transparency to stave off a reproducibility crisis. Nature

Cite this article: https://doi.org/10.53053/ACMK1409