Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Scientists conducting a longitudinal study of genetics and health recruited large numbers of people via social media. American Journal of Human Genetics
• A new analytical method outperforms others in interpreting social behavior in a mouse model of autism. Autism Research
• Prolonging brain waves called ‘sharp-wave ripples’ in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub, improves working memory in mice. Science
• For neurodevelopmental conditions, sequencing a person’s genes is more informative than chromosomal microarray, the standard method of genetic testing in the United States. Genetics in Medicine
• Two genes may predict the drug metformin’s ability to prevent autistic children’s weight gain from antipsychotic medications. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
• People who have attempted suicide more than once tend to have more autism traits than those who have made one or no attempts. Molecular Autism
• Factors that help autistic adolescents learn to drive include previous mastery of life skills and parent participation. Autism in Adulthood
• Experiments that use light to stimulate brain activity must control for light-generated heat. Nature Neuroscience

Science and society

• A person died after contracting an infection from an experimental fecal transplant. The New York Times
• Mouse lemurs, which are primates, may be a better model organism than mice, as they are more closely related to people than rodents are. Nature
• Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, calls for an end to all-male panels of speakers, or ‘manels.’ National Institutes of Health
• Cephalopods — squid, octopus and cuttlefish — could be ideal model organisms for studying evolutionary biology. Hakai Magazine
• The gender difference in autism prevalence is perpetuated by bias and harms girls and women. Genetic Literacy Project
• Former autism researcher Jon Brock critiques a study that claims gut bacteria from autistic people induce autism-like behaviors in mice. Medium
• Keeping up with autism research can be helpful for parents of autistic children. Autism Parenting Magazine
• The U.S. government is pushing for more scrutiny of primate research, forcing scientists to justify it. STAT
• A nonverbal man with intellectual disability was shot by an off-duty police officer in a Los Angeles-area shopping center. Los Angeles Times
• Healthcare providers in Staffordshire, England, routinely neglect autistic children experiencing mental health crises. The Guardian
• There is little evidence that wearable brain stimulators benefit consumers. The Scientist

Autism and the arts

• Stand-up comedy performed by and for people with autism has become more popular. The New York Times