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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: brain size

September 2023

Common genetic variants shape the structure of the cortex

by  /  18 September 2023

A genome-wide association study lays a foundation for deeper investigation of these variants in neurodevelopmental conditions.

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Research image of organoids in the forebrain.

Head size parts autism into two major subtypes

by  /  12 September 2023

An imbalance in the number of excitatory neurons in early brain development may account for the difference.

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July 2023
Illustration of half of a brain on the left and half of a heart on the right

Change of heart and mind: Autism’s ties to cardiac defects

by  /  21 July 2023

Children with congenital heart disease have an increased likelihood of autism. Why?

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May 2023
Composite research image of organoids at several stages of development.

Genetic background sways effects of autism-linked mutation

by  /  18 May 2023

Experiments offer clues to why certain mutations are associated with autism in some people and not others.

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Research image of zebrafish forebrains.

Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish

by  /  12 May 2023

The findings add to the growing evidence that genes with disparate functions can play similar roles in brain development.

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April 2023
Research image of the blood-brain barrier.

Rare autism-linked mutation starves growing neurons of essential nutrients

by  /  10 April 2023

The mutation prevents certain amino acids from entering neurons, causing the cells to die early in development.

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November 2022
Three scans of zebrafish brains.

Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism

by  /  1 November 2022

The gene, YTHDF2, has not previously been linked to autism.

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June 2022

Different forms of autism have opposite problems with brain precursor cells

by  /  10 June 2022

The cells’ altered proliferation rates hint at ways to diagnose and potentially treat autism earlier.

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May 2022
Three views of zebrafish.

Novel gene linked to brain size in autistic people

by  /  16 May 2022

The gene, YTHDF2, may be one of several that contribute to an autism subtype marked by an unusually big brain.

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Organoids hint at origins of enlarged brains in autistic people

by  /  13 May 2022

The size of the cerebral cortex seems to depend on when neural progenitor cells multiply or differentiate into glial cells and neurons.

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