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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: mitochondria

May 2011

Genetics: Multiple hits affect key pathways in autism

by  /  24 May 2011

Individuals with autism have multiple mutations in a pathway that functions in the mitochondria, the energy center of the cell, according to a study published 27 April in the European Journal of Human Genetics. They also have higher-than-average numbers of variants in pathways involved in metabolism, gene expression and the regulation of cell division.

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Promises and limitations of mouse models of autism

by  /  10 May 2011

Good mouse models of autism, and accurate tests to assay their phenotypes, are key to both narrowing down a cause and developing effective treatments, argues expert Jacqueline Crawley.

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April 2011

Genetics: Deep sequencing reveals rare mutations

by  /  5 April 2011

Rare mutations with strong effects play a key role in autism and schizophrenia, according to a study published in February in PLoS Genetics. The study identifies rare harmful mutations in three candidate genes that are more common in individuals with one of the disorders than in controls.

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March 2011

Genetics: Parkinson’s disease gene linked to autism

by  /  30 March 2011

Two children with Asperger syndrome have disruptions in the PARK2 gene — one child has a duplication in the gene whereas the other has a deletion — according to a study published in February in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

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Molecular mechanisms: Autism gene linked to mitochondria

by  /  22 March 2011

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1, or DISC1— a protein associated with both autism and schizophrenia — is involved in the transport of mitochondria, the power-houses of the cell, to their correct locations in neurons, according to a study published in February in Molecular Psychiatry.

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Mitochondrial function disrupted in children with autism

by  /  17 March 2011

The first study to look at mitochondria — the powerhouses of the cell — in postmortem brain tissue taken from children with autism has found significant abnormalities in their function in some regions of the brain.

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Strategic update

by  /  4 March 2011

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee has released an updated list of priorities for government-funded autism research.

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December 2010

Defects in mitochondria linked to autism

by  /  3 December 2010

Cells drawn from a small sample of children with autism show defects in the functioning of their mitochondria — structures that produce energy to power cellular functions — according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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November 2010

Potential biomarker found in urine of children with autism

by  /  18 November 2010

Young children with autism have high urine levels of a compound that is likely to be a product of gut bacteria, according to a poster presented Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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December 2009

Mounting evidence fingers mitochondria in autism risk

by  /  8 December 2009

Using new genetic screening technology, a few research groups are finding that a surprisingly large number of children with autism — at least five percent — have an underlying problem with their mitochondria, the energy factories of the cell.

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