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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: dendrites

November 2021
Three mice sniffing each other.

Reversing mutations in top autism-linked gene makes adult mice more social

by  /  10 November 2021

Treatments that counteract the effects of an SCN2A mutation in mice increase the animals’ sociability in adulthood, according to a new unpublished study.

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April 2021
Colorful RNA in mouse brain slice

Tissue-swelling method divulges RNA locations, sequences in cells

by  /  28 April 2021

A technique that expands tissue before spotting and sequencing RNA — the molecular messenger for DNA — enables researchers to see where particular genes are expressed in cells.

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Mouse brains carrying CUL3 gene mutation reveal unusually thin cortical tissue.

Neuron ‘skeleton’ may explain impact of autism-linked gene mutation

by  /  16 April 2021

Mutations in CUL3, a gene strongly linked to autism, may cause differences in brain structure by disrupting cytoskeleton proteins, according to a new study.

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January 2021
computational neural network in red and blue lines.

Computational technique recapitulates neuron shapes

by  /  11 January 2021

A new method automatically reconstructs the 3D branching shapes of neurons from images.

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June 2019
children standing in a line, oldest to youngest

Timing of autism treatments may be key to their success

by  /  20 June 2019

The timing of treatment is crucial for conditions related to autism — and more so for some conditions than for others.

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Mouse neurons in a grid show differences

Autism mutation may disrupt brain structure by disabling mitochondria

by  /  13 June 2019

Mice that lack a segment of chromosome 22 — a mutation associated with autism — have unusually sparse connections between brain regions.

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May 2019
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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April 2019

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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November 2018

Mutations in autism gene may be treatable beyond infancy

by  /  4 November 2018

A top autism gene called SCN2A plays a role at neuronal connections into adulthood, offering hope for treating mutations after infancy.

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April 2018
A bundle of nerves connecting the brain’s hemispheres is thinner in mice missing TAOK2 (right) than in controls (left).

Gene in autism risk region plays key role in brain development

by  /  4 April 2018

Mice missing TAOK2, a gene in a segment of chromosome 16 linked to autism, have big brains, immature neuronal junctions and asocial behavior.

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