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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: Drosophila

September 2023
Research image of presynapses on sensory neurons in fruit flies.

UBE3A’s link to synaptic pruning bolstered by fly study

by  /  28 September 2023

Increasing or reducing the levels of the UBE3A gene, which is associated with autism and autism-related syndromes, results in altered patterns of synaptic pruning — a process that snips away brain cell connections.

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August 2023
A research image of the fly brain connectome

Full connectome of adult fruit fly completed, with help from citizen scientists

by  /  7 August 2023

The map, by far the largest one of an entire brain to date, contains 130,000 neurons and 53 million synapses.

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March 2023
Still from research video displaying wiring map of a fruit fly's brain.

Wiring map reveals how larval fruit fly brain converts sensory signals to movement

by  /  9 March 2023

The map diagrams more than half a million neuronal connections in the first complete connectome of Drosophila and holds clues about which brain architectures best support learning.

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November 2022
Tuan Chao speaks about her research.

Tying PPFIA3 to autism: A quick take at SfN with Tuan Chao and Maimuna Paul

by  /  15 November 2022

Work in fruit flies has helped Paul decode a neurodevelopmental syndrome in children caused by rare de novo variants in the gene PPFIA3.

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April 2022

Fruit flies help reveal effects of autism-linked mutations

by  /  13 April 2022

Dozens of rare mutations of unknown effects seen in autistic people cause significant changes to fruit flies, suggesting they are linked to the condition.

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September 2021
researcher holds zebrafinch

Fish, frogs, flies and other fauna in scientific firsts

by  /  8 September 2021

Over the past century, scientists have used a variety of animal models to advance their understanding of the developing brain and autism.

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A lighthearted, colorful, chaotic lab scene with fruit flies, worms peeking out of petri dishes, zebrafish in beakers and an octopus creeping out of a cabinet..

Special report: Unusual animal models of autism

by  /  8 September 2021

In the past two decades, some autism researchers have turned to simple animals, such as roundworms, fruit flies and zebrafish, for their investigations. Others have sought answers from experiments with frogs, birds and even octopuses.

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A lighthearted, colorful, chaotic lab scene with fruit flies flying in formation, worms peeking out of piles of dirt and zebrafish spilling out of beakers.

What studying worms, flies and fish says about autism

by  /  8 September 2021

Researchers are increasingly turning to simple animals to learn about autism biology and find leads for new drugs.

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April 2021
A group of six images of fruit fly brains show networks in green and pink.

Poor sleep could be core feature of autism, related conditions

by  /  15 April 2021

Fruit flies with low expression of a gene linked to neurodevelopment have disrupted sleep, poor memory and altered social behavior.

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February 2020
3D image of colorized brain sections showing neuron connections

Map of fly brain lights up millions of connections

by  /  12 February 2020

A new wiring diagram of the fruit fly brain is the most complex ever created.

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