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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: excitatory signaling

September 2020
Liquid medicine being poured from bottle onto spoon.

Bumetanide may benefit only a subset of autistic children

by  /  3 September 2020

Contrary to previous results, the blood pressure drug did not uniformly improve autism traits in a new clinical trial.

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August 2020
Micrograph of neurons in mouse brain.

Inside scientists’ quest to map, modulate social circuits in autism

by  /  17 August 2020

A growing number of studies are revealing circuits that may underlie social challenges in autism — and how to fine-tune them.

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Mouse brain images show proteins in mouse brains at different ages.

New ‘synaptome’ maps neuronal connections in mouse brain across lifespan

by  /  5 August 2020

A new atlas lays bare how synapses, or the junctions between neurons, change from birth to old age in mice.

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July 2020
micrograph of a slice of mouse brain

Autism genes may play key role in development of amygdala

by  /  27 July 2020

Nearly all genes with moderate to strong ties to autism are expressed in the developing amygdala; a few show altered expression in the amygdalae of autistic people.

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April 2020
White mouse grooming

Gene linked to schizophrenia tied to autism-like behaviors

by  /  23 April 2020

Mice missing DLG2, a protein central to neuronal activity, are anxious, sleep poorly and overgroom themselves.

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March 2020
Close-up of mouse face and whiskers.

Sensory sensitivity in autistic people may stem from subset of neurons

by  /  27 March 2020

Mice missing an autism gene called SHANK3 tend to be hypersensitive to touch, which may stem from underactivity of neurons that normally dampen sensory responses.

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December 2019
Mouse sniffing the air

Mice with autism mutation may be indifferent to social scents

by  /  5 December 2019

Neurons in mice that lack an autism gene called CNTNAP2 do not differentiate well between social and nonsocial smells — an issue that seems to stem from haphazard neuronal firing.

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October 2019
linked hands in a pattern intertwined with DNA showing some broken parts, symbolizing mutations

Rett syndrome’s link to autism, explained

by  /  21 October 2019

Studies of Rett syndrome hint at genes, cells and brain circuits that may be involved in autism — and may pave the way to treatments for both conditions.

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Signaling imbalance in mutant mice supports key autism theory

by  /  19 October 2019

Mice missing a copy of CHD8, a top autism gene, show a signaling imbalance in their brains — a finding in line with a popular hypothesis about autism’s origins.

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July 2019

Family groups, researchers join forces to solve mysteries of autism gene

by  /  10 July 2019

Families of children with mutations in a gene called SYNGAP1 have spurred research into the effects of the mutations on people — and how to treat them.

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