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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: GWAS

December 2018
Brain images

Large U.K. database reveals links between genes and brain function

by  /  21 December 2018

A newly expanded database of information from people in the United Kingdom provides a detailed picture of genetic diversity.

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Massive analysis refines map of autism’s genetic roots

by  /  19 December 2018

The largest genetic analysis of postmortem brain tissue to date has yielded maps of when and where genes related to autism are turned on and off throughout life.

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October 2018
letters and numbers made out of mice, MRIs and other materials.

For studies, size matters: Let us count the ways

by  /  17 October 2018

In autism research, as in other fields, small sample sizes can lead to false findings. The size of the sample needed for statistical significance depends on the type of study.

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DNA helix with two mutations glowing blue on the helices. Rebecca Horne

Study links subset of genetic variants to autism, intellectual disability

by  /  3 October 2018

Genetic variants across the genome contribute to about 8 percent of the risk for certain developmental conditions — much more than previously thought.

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June 2018
Week of JuneJun
25th
2018

Smart genes; Neanderthal mini-brains; diabetes link and more

by  /  29 June 2018

Autism and intelligence share genetic variants, researchers grow Neanderthal mini-brains and see overlap with autism, and maternal diabetes is an autism risk factor.

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February 2018
etworks of genes derived from certain 'modules' (neuron, top right, and astrocyte, bottom left) are altered in autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Autism shares brain signature with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

by  /  8 February 2018

Gene expression patterns in the brains of people with autism are similar to those of people who have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

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January 2018
Week of JanuaryJan
15th
2018

Social genome; nonspeaking host; microbiome brain and more

by  /  19 January 2018

Common genetics may help forge social ties, a nonspeaking woman with autism hosts “The Late Show,” and the mix of bacteria in the gut may relate to brain structure.

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November 2017
Week of NovemberNov
20th
2017

Relocation repercussions; gene editing first; oxytocin sensor and more

by  /  24 November 2017

The agency that oversees the drug approval process in Europe is moving to Amsterdam, gene editing gets its first human trial, and a tiny sensor detects even a few oxytocin molecules in blood.

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October 2017
A new resource charts the locations of two types of chemical modifications to chromosomes (top, middle) and gene expression changes (bottom) in brain tissue.

Databases describe DNA ‘dials’ that control gene expression

by  /  20 October 2017

Two new resources catalog how genetic variants affect gene expression in the brain.

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July 2017

Massive collaboration unearths inherited risk factor for autism

by  /  17 July 2017

Autism runs in families, but the search for inherited risk factors has come up short — until now.

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