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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: MECP2

January 2015

‘Tooth Fairy’ works magic to unearth new autism genes

by  /  12 January 2015

By analyzing stem cells derived from baby teeth, researchers have tracked a child’s autism to mutations in a gene called TRPC6. The molecular saga highlights a painless way to probe the role some genes play in autism.

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December 2014

Sequencing may offer smoother sailing in diagnostic odyssey

by  /  16 December 2014

Getting to a diagnosis of autism or another neurodevelopmental disorder is a long and frustrating experience for some families — especially when it comes to finding the underlying genetic cause. DNA sequencing could ease this arduous journey.

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November 2014

Monkey missing Rett gene prompts primate research debate

by  /  20 November 2014

Scientists have created a transgenic monkey modeling Rett syndrome, they announced yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. This model and others sparked a lively discussion about the relative value of animal models in research.

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In mouse model of Rett, immune cells overly sensitive

by  /  20 November 2014

Loss of MeCP2, the Rett syndrome gene, depletes immune cells throughout the bodies of mice, researchers reported yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Growth factor rescues neurons made from boys with Rett

by  /  18 November 2014

Neurons derived from the skin cells of boys with Rett syndrome can help screen potential treatments for the disorder, suggest unpublished results presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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October 2014

Web of genes may hold clues for autism treatments

by  /  20 October 2014

Many of the genes that have emerged as the strongest autism candidates have turned out to regulate the expression of hundreds, if not thousands, of other genes. Within these networks, scientists are homing in on pathways that underlie autism.

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September 2014

Rousing silenced X chromosome may treat Rett syndrome

by  /  29 September 2014

Drugs that activate the silent copy of the X chromosome in women may be able to undo the damage from mutations in genes located there. The study, published 2 September in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers hope for treating Rett syndrome and other disorders linked to the chromosome.

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Scientists take steps to clarify Rett syndrome’s diversity

by  /  2 September 2014

Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder that shares some features with autism, can be severe and debilitating. But some people with the disorder can regain social skills years after diagnosis.

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August 2014

Signaling imbalance skews sensory responses in autism mice

by  /  11 August 2014

Mice modeling autism have trouble integrating different kinds of sensory information such as sight, sound and touch. A study published 31 July in Neuron reports that an imbalance between signals that calm neurons and those that excite them leads to these sensory problems.

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July 2014

Rett outcome is improving with time

by  /  25 July 2014

By treating the medical complications that accompany Rett syndrome, women with the disorder are living longer than ever before, says Alan Percy. 

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