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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Q&A

Conversations with experts about noteworthy topics in autism.

Previous articles
June 2016

Questions for Alysson Muotri: Applying autism tools to Zika

by  /  14 June 2016

Mini-brains grown from stem cells in culture can reveal the effects of both autism and the Zika virus on early development.

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Questions for Letitia Naigles: Parsing pronoun confusion

by  /  7 June 2016

Children with autism tend to mix up personal pronouns when their language skills outpace their social awareness.

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May 2016

Questions for Elizabeth Berry-Kravis: Dodging mouse traps

by  /  24 May 2016

A mouse model of fragile X syndrome lacks a key feature of the condition, prompting researchers to look for other ways to test treatments.

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Questions for Laura Anthony: Teaming up to improve research

by  /  12 May 2016

Partnering with families affected by autism may make research more relevant, fun and likely to succeed.

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Questions for Cory Miller: Monkeying around with marmosets

by  /  10 May 2016

Small social monkeys called marmosets are well suited for studies on social behaviors and autism.

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April 2016

Questions for Kay Tye: How loneliness drives social behavior

by  /  19 April 2016

A brain circuit that wires lone mice to seek out social contact may offer clues about autism.

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March 2016

Questions for Richard Tsien: Taking apart autism’s machinery

by  /  22 March 2016

Autism may stem from faulty feedback loops in the brain, like an air conditioning system gone awry.

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Questions for Thomas Bourgeron: In search of ‘second hits’

by  /  1 March 2016

Taking a close look at people who have a mutation in a known autism gene may reveal why these people often have vastly different characteristics.

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February 2016

Questions for Fruhling Rijsdijk: Tapping twins for autism

by  /  9 February 2016

Studying large numbers of fraternal and identical twins may help tease apart genetic and environmental contributors to autism.

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Questions for Moeller, Ochman: Going ape over the microbiome

by  /  2 February 2016

Social interactions shape the bustling communities of gut bacteria in chimpanzees.

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