Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: mouse models

June 2013

Regression in Rett syndrome may inform autism

by  /  18 June 2013

Studying regression in Rett syndrome may help us understand the phenomenon in autism, as it occurs at the same time in both disorders and includes many of the same features, says Jeffrey Neul.
 

Comments
Micrograph of interneuron and pyramidal neuron in the hippocampus.

Signaling imbalance may underlie tuberous sclerosis complex

by  /  17 June 2013

The mutation that causes tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, may disable calming signals in the brain, leading to hyperactive neurons, according to a study published 8 May in Neuron.

Comments
A digitally created abstract mosaic.

Mouse model mimics mosaic mutation in tuberous sclerosis

by  /  3 June 2013

Deleting both copies of a gene linked to tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, in only a subset of brain cells recapitulates many of the disorder’s symptoms in mice, according to a study published 9 May in Neuron.

Comments
May 2013

Molecular mechanisms: Mice link brain region to autism

by  /  21 May 2013

A strain of mice with autism-like behaviors is missing a corpus callosum, a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Two studies published this month investigate the link between these two features.

Comments

Simon Fisher: Hunting on the FOXP2 trail

by  /  20 May 2013

Simon Fisher made headlines in 2001 for finding the first gene related to language. He has been following FOXP2 ever since, and has found that it is important in autism and other psychiatric disorders.

Comments

Statins improve symptoms of Rett syndrome in mice

by  /  4 May 2013

Defects in cholesterol metabolism may influence the severity of Rett syndrome, suggesting a treatment for the autism-related disorder, according to research presented Thursday at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

Comments

Reward study questions autism mouse model’s relevance

by  /  2 May 2013

The BTBR mouse model, an asocial strain often used to study autism, may not be optimal for autism research, suggests an unpublished study presented today at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

Comments
April 2013

Angelman syndrome drug shows promise in mouse study

by  /  29 April 2013

Two weeks of treatment with a cancer drug called topotecan boosts expression for a year of the gene that’s deficient in Angelman syndrome, according to unpublished mouse research presented 20 March at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Comments

Miniature brain bulbs manipulate neurons

by  /  24 April 2013

A light-emitting device implanted in a mouse brain can activate neurons wirelessly, allowing researchers to control and observe the mouse’s behavior, according to a report published 12 April in Science.

Comments
Research image of two mice cerebellums.

Drug linked to mitochondria treats mouse model of autism

by  /  15 April 2013

A century-old drug created to treat African sleeping sickness reverses several autism-like features in a mouse model of the disorder, according to a study published 13 March in PLoS ONE.

Comments