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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: organoids

May 2022

Organoids hint at origins of enlarged brains in autistic people

by  /  13 May 2022

The size of the cerebral cortex seems to depend on when neural progenitor cells multiply or differentiate into glial cells and neurons.

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April 2022
organoids in early stages of development.

Organoids show how mutations in top autism gene may lead to brain overgrowth in people

by  /  19 April 2022

The loss of CHD8, a top autism gene, speeds up the production of certain neurons and leads to overgrowth in spheres of cultured brain cells.

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February 2022

Three autism-linked genes converge on tweaks to cells’ timing

by  /  2 February 2022

Mutations in all three accelerate the maturation of inhibitory neurons, which could upset the brain’s balance of excitation and inhibition early in development.

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November 2021

Including immune cells in brain organoids improves model’s accuracy

by  /  15 November 2021

Cortical organoids that contain non-neuronal brain cells called microglia may reflect human neurodevelopment more faithfully than those that don’t.

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September 2021
neurons in organoids

Protein inhibitor normalizes neuronal migration in organoid model of autism

by  /  1 September 2021

Inhibiting a protein that helps cells move or change shape prevents atypical neuronal migration in 3D clusters of brain cells carrying autism-linked genetic variants.

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August 2021
Holly Stessman standing in her garden looking up and holding her two chickens.

Beyond the bench: A conversation with Holly Stessman

by  /  13 August 2021

When Holly Stessman isn’t probing autism genes, she is tending to her flock of chickens or seeking out the next great sci-fi movie.

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June 2021

Enzyme blockers may counteract excess protein levels in fragile X syndrome

by  /  7 June 2021

Investigational drugs that inhibit an overactive enzyme could partially normalize how brain cells mature in boys with fragile X syndrome.

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April 2021
By imaging spheroids in 3D, researchers can see structures called rosettes, in which immature brain cells (green) surround a cavity (pink), of a variety of shapes and sizes.

Airy beams capture 3D structures inside spheroids

by  /  8 April 2021

An imaging approach that captures spheres of brain cells in three dimensions could illuminate processes in early brain development.

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March 2021
Tiny cortical organoids in petri dish

Year-old organoids echo genetic shifts seen at birth

by  /  8 March 2021

3D cultures of human brain cells kept alive for more than a year undergo transitions in gene activity that resemble those seen in newborns, and may be used to study autism genes in postnatal stages of brain development.

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February 2021
Oligodendrocyte gene grouping showing network of blue lines connecting the gene names on reddish bubbles.

Differing gene functions across species may pose problems for autism models

by  /  22 February 2021

Misaligned gene expression maps suggest that some autism-linked genes play distinct roles in mouse and human brains.

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