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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: oxytocin

August 2023
Position heatmaps of mice performing a behavioral assay.

New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice

by  /  10 August 2023

Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.

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June 2023
A photograph of a mouse against a swirly, multi-colored backdrop

Psychedelics give mice second chance to learn social rewards

by  /  23 June 2023

The drugs may reopen a critical window during development in which the brain can more easily adjust its connections.

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Research image of rodent brain scans.

CRISPR tool rids rodents of oxytocin receptors

by  /  14 June 2023

The approach provides an “off-the-shelf” way for researchers to compare oxytocin function across species, the team says.

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May 2023
Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele looks directly into the camera with a calm expression in a close up shot.

Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele

by  /  30 May 2023

A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.

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Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Arbaclofen results; another oxytocin edition

by  /  17 May 2023

New data from clinical trials of arbaclofen and oxytocin underscore the murkiness of null results. Plus, researchers seek clarity on the neurodevelopmental effects of oxytocin during childbirth.

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March 2023
Mother and child rhesus macaque monkeys.

Serotonin initiates earliest social bonds

by  /  2 March 2023

Mice and rats, for example, gravitate toward their mother’s bedding over bedding that is clean or smells of a different dam.

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January 2023
Two adult prairie voles snuggle.

‘Mind-blowing’ study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin

by  /  27 January 2023

CRISPR-edited prairie voles that lack receptors for the so-called “social hormone” still bond with their mate and pups, raising questions about the molecule’s role.

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November 2022
A white mouse sits on a nest against a blue background.

Mouse models help sniff out olfactory differences in autism

by  /  16 November 2022

A range of presentations at Neuroscience 2022 tie atypical social behavior to trouble discriminating between odors in the animals.

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Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: COVID-19 conclusions; diagnosis duplication; oxytocin again

by  /  10 November 2022

This month’s newsletter explores the pandemic’s effects on autism rates, trends in co-occurring mental health conditions, and the impact of intranasal oxytocin.

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October 2022
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Medication timing; oxytocin amounts; sensory sameness

by  /  13 October 2022

Parents’ health, treatment dosages and sensory perception feature in this month’s crop of null and replicated results.

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