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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: learning and memory

March 2015

Powerful memory system may compensate for autism’s deficits

by ,  /  17 March 2015

A brain system called declarative memory may help people learn scripts and strategies that alleviate autism symptoms, say Michael Ullman and Mariel Pullman.

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How to build a better scientist

by  /  10 March 2015

Budding scientists need career guidance from faculty mentors, not just technical handholding by graduate students, suggests a comprehensive review.

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January 2015

Drug abates symptoms in two genetic models of autism

by  /  19 January 2015

Drugs developed to treat fragile X syndrome may also work for autism because both disorders feature defects at neuronal junctions, suggests a paper published 12 January in Nature Neuroscience.

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December 2014

‘Brain-normalizing’ therapy points to new kind of biomarker

by  /  1 December 2014

Pivotal response treatment, an effective form of behavioral therapy for autism, normalizes brain activity in children with the disorder, according to a small study published earlier this month in Brain Imaging and Behavior. This suggests that brain imaging can signal early responses to autism treatments.

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November 2014

Who are you going to believe, your body or your lying eyes?

by  /  20 November 2014

Children with autism tend to rely more on their bodies when learning new motor skills, while controls rely more on their eyes, suggests unpublished research presented Wednesday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Diabetes drug is sweet cure for fragile X in fruit flies

by  /  19 November 2014

The memory and sleep troubles that accompany fragile X syndrome originate in a glitch in insulin signaling, suggests an unpublished study of fruit flies presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The study points to a widely available diabetes treatment for the syndrome.

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Individualized autism therapy? There may be an app for that

by  /  18 November 2014

A touch-screen game based on popular cartoon characters may one day allow scientists to tailor treatments for children with autism, suggest unpublished results presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Targeting potassium channel eases autism symptoms in mice

by  /  17 November 2014

Lowering the levels of a certain ion channel reverses autism-like behaviors in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to unpublished results presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Family of autism-linked proteins helps neurons communicate

by  /  16 November 2014

The SHANK family of proteins, some of which are strong autism candidates, work together to facilitate brain signaling, according to unpublished results presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Sensors shed light on levels of chemical messengers in mice

by  /  12 November 2014

Cells modified to carry fluorescent sensors can help researchers detect the levels of various chemical messengers in the brains of living mice.

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