Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Scientists have identified neurons in the human visual cortex that respond to faces. Neurology
• TP53, a gene that controls cell division and has been linked to cancer, also influences an individual’s head and brain size. Nature Communications
• Suicide deaths have increased among people with autism, especially among women and girls, according to a 20-year population study in Utah. Autism Research
• Antidepressant use during pregnancy is not associated with an increase in autism in children, according to a study in Japan. Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology
• A new model may provide insights into the function of interacting networks of brain regions involved in conditions such as autism. Bioinformatics
• For the first time, scientists used the gene-editing system CRISPR to boost the rate of inheritance of genetic variants in mice. Nature
• A new review offers guidelines for physicians on caring for adolescents who identify as transgender. Canadian Medical Association Journal

Science and society

• • Female prizewinners in biomedicine get, on average, 60.2 cents for every prize dollar that male awardees receive. Nature
  • Neuroscientists are finding evidence for ‘active’ forgetting, in which the brain wipes old memory traces to make space for new ones. Knowable Magazine
  • Neurons may have evolved from primitive cells whose main function was secreting chemicals into the environment. Science
  • A new ‘expansion microscopy’ technique has enabled scientists to create stunning images of the fruit fly brain and could eventually lead to detailed maps of the human brain. STAT

Blown up: A new chemical technique expands the brain of fruit fly to reveal its intricate parts.

Gao et al / Science

• Re-establishing trust in vaccines in the United States requires a public-health campaign ‘as bold and aggressive as the one being waged by the anti-vaccination contingent.’ The New York Times
• The partial U.S. government shutdown is hindering grant review at the National Institutes of Health. Science
• Early-career scientists aiming at tenure should focus on bringing in grants and conducting research, according to senior researchers. Nature

Funding news

• Neuroscientists Eve Marder of Brandeis University and Liqun Luo of Stanford University are among the recipients of this year’s National Academy of Sciences awards. National Academy of Sciences
• The United Kingdom’s National Autistic Society has announced finalists for the 2019 Autism Professionals Awards. National Autistic Society