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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: intellectual disability

March 2018
Neurons from mice missing OTUD7A (right) have fewer spines than do those from controls (left).

Studies pinpoint key gene in region linked to autism

by  /  21 March 2018

A single gene, OTUD7A, may account for most of the features seen in people missing a segment of chromosome 15 known as 15q13.3.

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two people walking down dirt road in a town in colubmia

‘Founder effect’ may have fueled fragile X cluster in Colombian town

by  /  19 March 2018

A semirural Colombian town called Ricaurte is home to the largest recorded genetic cluster of people with mutations linked to fragile X syndrome.

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child looking out a hospital window

Low intelligence, repetitive actions tied to self-injury in autism

by  /  7 March 2018

People with autism who are admitted to the hospital for self-injury tend to have low intelligence quotients and severe repetitive behaviors.

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February 2018
child walking on stone path with parents' help

Genetics underscores importance of motor deficits in autism

by  /  28 February 2018

Spontaneous mutations that impair proteins may lead to motor problems in children with autism.

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Newly flagged genes for developmental conditions (triangles) cluster in networks with previously identified risk factors (circles).

New software mines data for autism risk genes

by  /  16 February 2018

An algorithm combs through genetic data to identify variants involved in autism and four other brain conditions.

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January 2018
illustration of DNA strand

Variant analysis may vastly underestimate heritability of autism behaviors

by  /  29 January 2018

Existing genome scans do not detect many of the DNA variants that underlie behavioral problems.

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Week of JanuaryJan
22nd
2018

Pollutant surprise; monkey clones; researchers rattled and more

by  /  26 January 2018

Researchers find a surprising link between certain pollutants and reduced autism risk, the world welcomes — and fears — the first primate clones, and new U.S. clinical trial rules reverberate globally.

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November 2017
Week of NovemberNov
6th
2017

Ethnicity influence; human-brained rodents; graduate drain and more

by  /  10 November 2017

Black parents are less likely than white parents to report concerns about autism features in their children, human brain organoids in rodent bodies raise ethical concerns, and science graduate programs in the United States have few American students.

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Week of OctoberOct
30th
2017

Gene-editing gadgetry; intelligence trajectories; research reset and more

by  /  3 November 2017

Two new gadgets join the gene-editing toolbox, many children with autism get smarter with age, and a survey points to a research reset for Autism Speaks.

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October 2017
Mother and daughter practicing writing.

Rare autism mutations linked to low intelligence

by  /  20 October 2017

People with autism who have rare, damaging mutations tend to have low scores on intelligence tests.

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