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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: immune system

November 2015

Maternal immune molecule triggers autism symptoms in male mice

by  /  7 November 2015

Rare antibodies taken from the blood of women who have a child with autism cause brain structure changes and autism-like symptoms in male mice.

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Why don’t we know what environmental factors cause autism?

by  /  4 November 2015

Scientists can rattle off lists of dozens of genes linked to autism, but there’s much less agreement about which elements of the environment contribute to the condition — and by how much.

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October 2015

Male mice more vulnerable to tilt of gut-brain axis

by  /  22 October 2015

Early disruption of the microbes that inhabit the gut can alter a mouse’s sociability long term.

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One form of immune gene tracks with autism traits

by  /  21 October 2015

A variant in a gene that regulates immune responses is more common in children with autism than in those without this disorder.

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Microglia may play multiple roles in shaping brain

by  /  20 October 2015

Scientists have discovered a new way that microglia, the immune cells of the brain, can sculpt brain circuits.

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Immune molecule does double duty as social manager

by  /  18 October 2015

An immune molecule that helps defend people from infection with viruses or bacteria may also keep brain activity in check, allowing people to be social.

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Immune disorders during pregnancy boost autism risk in children

by  /  8 October 2015

Women who have lupus are roughly twice as likely as women without an immune disorder to have a child with autism.

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September 2015

Large genome scan turns up new autism addresses

by  /  29 September 2015

An analysis of blood samples from nearly 17,000 individuals with autism points to new regions of the genome likely to be involved in the disorder.

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Portrait of Beth Stevens.

Beth Stevens: Casting immune cells as brain sculptors

by  /  24 September 2015

Beth Stevens is unmasking new roles for microglia, the mysterious brain cells that seem to shape brain circuits.

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July 2015

New method vets quality of antibodies for experimental use

by  /  15 July 2015

Researchers have devised a reliable technique for evaluating how well antibodies home in on specific molecules in scientific experiments. The new approach could take some of the guesswork out of studies that use antibodies to label and isolate proteins.

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