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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: fMRI

September 2023
A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation

Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan

by  /  11 September 2023

A new individualized approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation may one day be an effective treatment for social and communication difficulties, if the results from Duan’s small preliminary trial pan out.

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June 2023
Research image of brain scans showing connections in the brain in different colors.

Statistical method improves behavioral predictions from fMRI

by  /  29 June 2023

The framework, inspired by the polygenic risk score, considers the cumulative effect of neuronal connections.

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Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Modified MRI; father findings

by  /  22 June 2023

This month’s newsletter tackles null findings from an attempted replication of a “revolutionary” MRI approach and an analysis of family genetics.

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May 2023
Images from structural, functional and diffusion MRI scans.

Dataset maps connectivity in 40,000 brains

by  /  15 May 2023

The new resource aims to aid reproducibility in imaging research.

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February 2023
Brain scans displaying activity in areas linked with social behavior.

People’s perceptions of ‘social’ animations don’t always square with researchers’ labels

by  /  22 February 2023

The finding calls into question differences between autistic and non-autistic people on a decades-old theory-of-mind test involving interacting geometric shapes.

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January 2023
A photograph of a person preparing for an fMRI scan

Head motion mars most fMRI results, even after correction

by  /  30 January 2023

A new measure shows how greatly movement influences associations between traits and brain activity, revealing abundant false positives and false negatives.

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November 2022
Grid of nine mri scans of mouse brains.

Shared brain structure, connectivity hint at autism subgroups

by  /  21 November 2022

Using imaging methods to sort mouse models of autism may help identify subtypes of autistic people with similar underlying biology.

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Marco Pagani stands in front of his research poster.

Subtyping autism using fMRI: A quick take at SfN with Marco Pagani

by  /  18 November 2022

Pagani used mouse models to connect autism etiologies to brain connectivity alterations and then found similar alterations in people with idiopathic forms of the condition.

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October 2022
Conceptual illustration of a group of brain scans.

Boosting brain power: A conversation with Damien Fair

by  /  25 October 2022

Collecting brain scans from thousands of people can be challenging in autism research; data-sharing and collaborative efforts can help drive results that stand up to statistical scrutiny.

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September 2022
Conceptual illustration of a door leading from one area of the brain to another area of the brain.

Autism’s genetic heterogeneity evident in brain connectivity patterns

by  /  27 September 2022

The results highlight the importance of subgrouping study participants based on their underlying genetics, the researchers say.

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