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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: optogenetics

July 2023
A brown mouse looks away from a white mouse in a cage to its left.

‘VIP’ interneurons may drive autism traits in Dravet syndrome

by  /  19 July 2023

The inhibitory cells misfire and contribute to social difficulties in mice that model the syndrome.

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January 2023
Figure shows cultured human kidney cells and cultured rat cortical neurons responding to light exposure.

Unconventional optogenetics technique spurs long-lasting changes in neuronal activity

by  /  9 January 2023

Conventional optogenetic manipulations to excite or inhibit neurons stop when the light switches off. A new approach makes the changes last.

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October 2022
A transplanted human organoid labeled with a fluorescent protein in a section of the rat brain.

Human cortical organoids forge functional circuits in rat brains

by  /  12 October 2022

The transplanted cells integrate into living animals’ neural circuitry and influence behavior.

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June 2022
A computer-rendered analysis of neurons

Autism-linked mutation disrupts brain circuit to change social behavior

by  /  24 June 2022

Therapies that target the circuit could boost social activity, new findings suggest.

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April 2022

Deep-learning tool tracks interacting animals in real time

by  /  27 April 2022

By coupling the tool — called SLEAP — with optogenetics, researchers can determine the neural circuits underlying social behaviors.

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March 2022

Switching neurons on and off to probe autism circuits

by  /  23 March 2022

A 3D optogenetics method can mimic natural rhythms of neural activity, rendering previously unanswerable questions amenable to inquiry — including questions about autism.

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Neurons lighting up yellow, green and red on blue.

Controlling neurons with ultrasound: Q&A with Sreekanth Chalasani

by  /  1 March 2022

The new method, called sonogenetics, noninvasively manipulates neural circuits in mice.

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September 2021
Scientist Ethan Scott takes aim with a bow and arrow in his backyard.

Beyond the bench: A conversation with Ethan Scott

by  /  13 September 2021

Ethan Scott packs his lab with math, physics and computer science experts to decode sensory brain networks in zebrafish models of autism.

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July 2021
Ofer Yizhar in his lab, framed by rectangular window and a red background.

Beyond the bench: A conversation with Ofer Yizhar

by  /  26 July 2021

When Yizhar isn’t building new tools to study the neural circuits underlying autism and other complex conditions, you can find him playing the piano, shooting photographs or taking long runs in the desert.

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image shows slice of a mouse brain with genes highlighted

Method tracks neuron paths, gene expression simultaneously

by  /  21 July 2021

A new technique can reveal where thousands of neurons send their axons — and measure the cells’ RNA levels for dozens of genes at the same time — in the mouse brain. It could be used to profile neural circuits underlying autism.

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