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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: dopamine

January 2014
Photograph of a magnified section of a cerebellum showing nerve cells in a human brain.

Mounting evidence implicates cerebellum in autism

by  /  6 January 2014

Results from four studies published in the past year point to a role for the cerebellum in autism-related behaviors.

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November 2013

Miniature cable reads a mouse’s sense of reward

by  /  20 November 2013

A tiny fiber-optic probe inserted into the reward center of the mouse brain monitors how the mouse feels about meeting a peer — or a golf ball. The unpublished technique was presented last week at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Mouse models reveal Rett gene’s myriad effects

by  /  13 November 2013

MeCP2, the gene associated with Rett syndrome, has widely variable effects on mouse brains depending on the mutation it carries, according to unpublished results presented Tuesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Genetics: Spontaneous mutation links dopamine to autism

by  /  12 November 2013

A newly discovered spontaneous mutation, described 27 August in Molecular Psychiatry, links autism to changes in the regulation of the chemical messenger dopamine.

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September 2013

Rats armed to catch up to mice as top mammalian model

by  /  4 September 2013

Researchers have developed a method to engineer rats so that they lack a certain gene in only select regions of the brain, they report in the July issue of Nature Methods.

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August 2013

Ritalin reaction

by  /  23 August 2013

Some children with autism and hyperactivity have a genetic intolerance to methylphenidate (Ritalin), the drug commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, reports a new study published 16 July in Pharmacogenomics.

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June 2013
Scanning electron micrograph of human chromosome 16.

Genetics: Variants in chromosome 16 region show male bias

by  /  25 June 2013

Males, but not females, with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism are more likely to have deletions or duplications in the 16p13.11 chromosomal region than controls are, according to a study published 18 April in PLoS One.

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April 2013

Miniature brain bulbs manipulate neurons

by  /  24 April 2013

A light-emitting device implanted in a mouse brain can activate neurons wirelessly, allowing researchers to control and observe the mouse’s behavior, according to a report published 12 April in Science.

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December 2012

Molecular mechanisms: Autism genes regulate cell sensors

by  /  18 December 2012

Genes involved in neuropsychiatric disorders tend to be required for the formation of primary cilia — small tentacles on the cell surface that sense the external environment — according to a study published 3 October in PLoS One.

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November 2012

Brain atlas maps gene expression in three dimensions

by  /  14 November 2012

Researchers have charted patterns of gene expression in a three-dimensional representation of the human brain. The results, published 20 September in Nature, show that different brain regions have distinct molecular and functional roles.

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