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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: genetic testing

September 2018
Photo: Autistic woman Becky Audette lies on a couch under a purple blanket.

Rebooting Becky’s brain

by  /  12 September 2018

An electrical brain implant all but erased the obsessions that had consumed Becky Audette, years after her autism diagnosis. Could similar implants help other people with severe autism?

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August 2018

Journal club: Rare genetic variation in brain conditions

 /  6 August 2018

Watch the complete replay of this journal club, which featured a paper exploring rare genetic variation in psychiatric conditions, including autism.

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June 2018

Mutations in autism gene may trigger milder effects than does its loss

by  /  20 June 2018

People with mutations in SHANK3 have milder features than do those missing a chunk of DNA that includes the gene.

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Genetic testing, counseling crucial in people with developmental delay

by ,  /  19 June 2018

Referring children with developmental delay to a clinical geneticist for testing and counseling helps families and advances research.

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Big baby plays with two connected rings while two scientists with clipboards look on.

Traits of other conditions may spur autism

by ,  /  12 June 2018

Early features of other conditions may contribute to autism itself

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April 2018
Week of AprilApr
9th
2018

Fragile X checklist; France plays catch-up; bar-coded neurons and more

by  /  13 April 2018

A checklist for fragile X syndrome could help identify people with the condition in low-resource settings, France unveils a plan for early diagnosis and education of children with autism, and virally inserted ‘bar codes’ help track individual neurons.

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For accurate results in autism, genetic databases need diversity

by ,  /  10 April 2018

We must diversify databases of reference DNA to improve our ability to interpret the consequences of genetic variation.

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March 2018

Explaining ‘resilience’ in autism may seed new therapies

by  /  27 March 2018

Some individuals who have autism mutations show no signs of the condition; understanding why may lead to treatments.

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How variability among mouse strains can aid autism research

by  /  21 March 2018

Researchers can convert the distinct genetic backgrounds of lab mice from a problem to an advantage, exploiting the differences to advance our understanding of autism.

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How to improve mouse models’ usefulness for understanding autism

by  /  20 March 2018

Integrating human-specific genetic elements into mice may provide a permissive, ‘humanized’ environment for studying autism.

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