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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: amygdala

January 2014

Cognition and behavior: Autism brains heightened to senses

by  /  17 January 2014

When exposed to irritating noises or images, children with autism show hypersensitivity in brain regions that process sensory information and emotions, according to a study published in November in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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November 2013

In autism, small group of neurons attuned unusually to faces

by  /  25 November 2013

A subset of neurons in the amygdala is dedicated to recognizing eyes. But in people with autism, they may respond instead to the mouth, according to a report published 20 November in Neuron.

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Brain findings in autism leave researchers scratching heads

by  /  13 November 2013

Three decades of research on anatomical changes in the brains of individuals with autism has yielded few if any consistent patterns. The field needs an overhaul of the methods used, researchers said at a symposium Wednesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.  

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June 2013

Amygdala and autism’s checkered history

by  /  4 June 2013

To understand the amygdala’s role in autism, researchers should study its connections with other brain structures and explore its role in development, says Ralph Adolphs.

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May 2013

Behavioral therapy normalizes activity in autism brains

by  /  2 May 2013

Pivotal response training, a form of behavioral therapy for autism, alters brain activity in children with the disorder, normalizing it in some regions and triggering compensatory activity in others, according to a small study. The unpublished results were presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

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March 2013

Test case

by ,  /  1 March 2013

A single case study suggests that deep brain stimulation may improve symptoms associated with autism, say Casey Halpern and Gregory Heuer.

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January 2013

Molecular mechanisms: Immune soldiers elevated in autism

by  /  4 January 2013

Children with autism have higher levels than controls of dendritic cells, a subset of immune cells, according to a study published 11 October in Brain Behavior and Immunity.

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October 2012

Neurons in the amygdala have specialized functions

by  /  16 October 2012

The amygdala, an almond-shaped nub of brain tissue that processes emotions, has specialized neurons that respond to facial expressions and eye contact, according to unpublished work presented Monday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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September 2012
Image of stem cells that have differentiated into a variety of brain cell types.

Human stem cells generate miniature brain regions

by  /  25 September 2012

Researchers have induced stem cells to form three-dimensional clumps of neurons that resemble miniature brains, according to a study published 31 July in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Insights for autism from Williams syndrome

by  /  18 September 2012

Studying the well-characterized Williams syndrome could help researchers understand autism and discover new therapeutic targets, says Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg.

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