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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Emerging tools and techniques that may advance autism research.

Previous articles
June 2019
Cells in a rat brain

CRISPR advances offer enhancements to gene-editing tool kit

by  /  7 June 2019

New versions of the DNA editor CRISPR enable scientists to turn off specific genes in rats, detect mutations in human tissue and delete segments of the genome.

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May 2019

‘Zombie’ pig brains fire hours after death

by  /  31 May 2019

A new method restores blood flow and some functions in pig brains four hours after the animals have died.

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Mouse hippocampus view

New method yields maps of gene expression in multiple dimensions

by  /  24 May 2019

An array of minute beads enables researchers to build precise maps of gene expression in the brain.

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grid of lab grown neurons

New method creates uniform cultures of lab-grown neurons

by  /  16 May 2019

A new technique leads to neuron cultures of consistent quality, enabling scientists to study how autism mutations alter neurons.

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organoid

New method creates complex, long-lived brain ‘organoids’

by  /  10 May 2019

A new method for growing brain organoids allows them to survive for up to a year — more than four times as long as is possible with other methods.

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Image of DNA made up of hundreds of tiny images in a mosaic effect.

New algorithm identifies rare mutations in single neurons

by  /  3 May 2019

A new computational method sifts true mutations from spurious ones in a single cell’s genome.

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April 2019
Installers working on massive MRI machine install

Mighty magnet promises to render human brain in intricate detail

by  /  26 April 2019

A new magnetic resonance imaging machine has the power to reveal the brain’s structure and activity at unprecedented resolution.

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Scans in preterm babies reveal patterns of brain development

by  /  19 April 2019

Two imaging techniques together reveal architectural features of the brains of preterm infants.

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Anxious looking child

New scale measures anxiety in children with autism

by  /  12 April 2019

A new parent questionnaire is the first test designed to gauge anxiety in children with autism.

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Women in conversation

Study identifies top tests of social skills in autistic adults

by  /  5 April 2019

An evaluation of 11 tests of social skills has identified 8 that give credible results in autistic adults.

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