Research roundup

• An Arabic version of the Motor Behavior Checklist has been validated for use in school settings. Research in Developmental Disabilities
• Neurons lacking CNTNAP2 have fewer neurites than controls do, leading to alterations in excitatory circuits. Biological Psychiatry
• The U.K.-based Spectrum 10K genetics study launched a three-month consultation at the beginning of March, seeking input from autistic people. Feedback from the autistic self-advocate community led to the study being put on hold in 2021, Spectrum previously reported. Spectrum 10K
• Post-synaptic densities have lowered actin levels in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. Neuron
• Myelin maturation and decreasing amplitude of cortical intrinsic activity characterize brain development in adolescents, as measured by functional MRI. Nature Neuroscience
• NeuronChat is a computational tool that combines spatially resolved transcriptome measures with a database of molecular interactions between neurotransmitters and their targets to characterize neuronal pathways. Nature Communications
• A protein delivery system, derived from a bacterial tool, can be engineered to target human cells. Nature
• Autistic adults have more difficulty comprehending metaphors than do non-autistic adults, according to a small study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Diagnostic instruments for autism are not intended to provide a final answer but to contribute information that may guide clinical care. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
  

  Neuronal branching: Human-derived neurons that lack the CNTNAP2 gene (right) display less complexity than control neurons (left).

• Six months of treatment with bumetanide, a diuretic that may shift the balance of GABA-ergic activity, improves children’s scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, according to a clinical trial. CNS & Neurological Disorders – Drug Targets
• Animal studies in a wide variety of species have helped reveal the neural systems that underlie autism and their environmental and genetic influences, according to a review. The American Journal of Psychiatry

Science and society

• The Lundbeck Foundation has awarded its prestigious Brain Prize to three researchers who study synaptic plasticity: Christine Holt of the University of Cambridge, Michael Greenberg of Harvard Medical School and Erin Schuman of the Max Planck Institute. The Scientist
• In advice to up-and-coming autistic students, autistic researchers note that the apprenticeship model of academic training, which is based on observation and modeling, may put them at a disadvantage. Autism
• More than 100 Chinese-born faculty researchers at U.S.-based institutions have lost their jobs since 2018, after the National Institutes of Health said they were inappropriately using their federal funding to collaborate with China-based researchers. Science
• Many animal experiments of the past would not pass current ethics committees, which raises questions about how to cite them. The Scientist

Cite this article: https://doi.org/10.53053/MCTJ7713