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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: gene expression

October 2023
Research image of various types of cells.

Vast diversity of human brain cell types revealed in trove of new datasets

by  /  12 October 2023

The collection offers a glimpse into differences in cell composition — across people and brain regions — that may shape neural function.

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Research image of cerebral organoids.

Method pinpoints cell-specific effects of autism-linked mutations

by  /  3 October 2023

The approach, which combines CRISPR with single-cell analyses of organoids, suggests that intermediate progenitor cells are especially vulnerable to mutations associated with autism.

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September 2023
Prairie voles nestling together on white background.

Parental care may sculpt brain development in prairie voles

by  /  1 September 2023

Voles reared primarily by their fathers show altered synapse density.

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Portrait of Evdokia Anagnostou.

Evdokia Anagnostou and the concept of a good life

by  /  1 September 2023

The Holland Bloorview clinician and research director discusses how growing up on a small island shaped her career and the existential questions that keep her up at night.

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July 2023
A brown mouse looks away from a white mouse in a cage to its left.

‘VIP’ interneurons may drive autism traits in Dravet syndrome

by  /  19 July 2023

The inhibitory cells misfire and contribute to social difficulties in mice that model the syndrome.

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A slice of a cerebellum

Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex

by  /  7 July 2023

The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.

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Illustration of a fragile X syndrome chromosome.

New gene-editing method flags fragile X mutation for repair

by  /  5 July 2023

The approach prompts cultured cells to correct the genetic mutation in fragile X syndrome using their own DNA repair system, but it still needs to be tested further.

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June 2023
Image of three developing axons.

Autism’s ties to the cell skeleton

by  /  22 June 2023

Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.

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A brain slice under a microscope.

Preprint questions validity of postmortem brain studies

by  /  5 June 2023

But the alternatives, including living-brain biopsies, raise logistical and ethical questions, experts say.

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May 2023
Illustration of DNA methylation.

‘Polygenic risk scores’ for autism, explained

by  /  23 May 2023

These scores — composite measures of a person’s autism-linked common genetic variants — cannot predict an autism diagnosis but could help researchers better understand the condition’s underlying biology.

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