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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: gene expression

February 2023
Research image comparing neurons that lack the ZFP462 gene to wildtype neurons.

Autism-tied gene ZNF462 keeps developing neurons on track

by  /  1 February 2023

The gene, linked to a little-known condition called Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, prevents embryonic stem cells from deviating from their neuronal destiny.

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January 2023
Several people stand around a comments box that is dispensing speech bubbles in a futuristic digital landscape.

‘Science working as it should’: Autism blood signature study earns open post-publication review

by  /  10 January 2023

Shortly after the study’s publication, experts critiqued it on PubPeer and other online platforms.

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A sliced section of a human brain is displayed for a photograph.

Immunity-linked genes expressed differently in brains of autistic people

by  /  6 January 2023

Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes.

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Lab images of cilia.

Autism and the cell’s antennae

by  /  4 January 2023

Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how, cilia differences contribute to the condition.

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December 2022
Figure showing an analysis of gene expression in cells across development.

Highly expressed genes may buffer against autism-linked mutations in girls

by  /  14 December 2022

Such high expression levels may account for the condition’s sex bias, a new preprint suggests — but not everyone agrees with that logic.

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An illustration of doctors examining a larger-than-life DNA strand

Whole-genome trove ties new genes, variants to autism

by  /  12 December 2022

A massive update to the MSSNG dataset gives qualified researchers ready access to explore autism’s genetic architecture on a cloud-based platform.

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lllustration of the junction between two nerve cells.

Multi-omics study captures CNTNAP2’s far-ranging effects

by  /  8 December 2022

The in-depth approach shows mutations in the autism-linked gene disrupt neuronal growth and communication, as well as mitochondrial gene expression.

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Composite image of inhibitory and excitatory neurons.

One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids

by  /  2 December 2022

The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.

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November 2022
Geometric black-and-white brain model over a grid.

Excess of ‘don’t eat me’ cell signals may drive brain enlargement in autism

by  /  22 November 2022

The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head.

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Light micrograph of microglia cells stained with Rio Hortega’s silver carbonate method.

Autism’s sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression

by  /  22 November 2022

The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.

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