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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: excitatory signaling

October 2012

Genetics: RNA improvisations altered in autism

by  /  9 October 2012

RNA editing, which creates multiple forms of a protein, is common among proteins involved in neuronal signaling, and may be abnormal in people with autism, according to a study published 7 August in Molecular Psychiatry.

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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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Molecular mechanisms: Drug corrects excitable mouse brains

by  /  5 September 2012

A compound called baclofen restores the balance between different types of brain signals and alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice, according to a study published 17 July in Translational Psychiatry. A similar drug called arbaclofen is in clinical trials as a treatment for autism and fragile X syndrome.

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August 2012

Molecular mechanisms: Serotonin mimics may treat fragile X

by  /  28 August 2012

Compounds that target the receptor for the chemical messenger serotonin could help treat fragile X syndrome, according to a study published 17 July in Biological Psychiatry.  

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Brain waves against a solid white background

Epilepsy drug reverses autism-like symptoms in mice

by  /  27 August 2012

Researchers have homed in on the brain region thought to be responsible for the autism-like symptoms that can accompany Dravet syndrome, a rare epilepsy disorder, according to research published Wednesday in Nature.

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Genetics: Rare epilepsy syndromes share autism mutations

by  /  22 August 2012

Individuals with either of two rare forms of epilepsy have duplications or deletions that encompass genes implicated in autism and language impairment, according to a study published 27 June in Epilepsia.

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July 2012

Targeting brain microcircuits may help treat autism

by  /  10 July 2012

Understanding the function of neuronal circuits, specifically microcircuits in the prefrontal cortex and elsewhere in the brain, will play a major role in translating research findings into new autism treatments, says Vikaas Sohal.

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Angelman mice show impaired inhibition of brain signals

by  /  2 July 2012

Mice lacking a functional copy of UBE3A, the gene missing or mutated in people with the rare developmental disorder Angelman syndrome, show less inhibitory activity than controls do, according to research published 7 June in Neuron.

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June 2012

Molecular mechanisms: Language neurons small in autism

by  /  13 June 2012

Neurons that activate signals in a brain region important for language and imitation are smaller in the brains of individuals with autism than in those of controls, according to a study published 31 March in Acta Neuropathology.

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May 2012

Molecular mechanisms: Mutant mice show signs of autism

by  /  25 May 2012

Mice that are unable to produce a carbohydrate molecule that regulates cell growth show behaviors that resemble the core deficits of autism, according to a study published 27 March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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