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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: postmortem brains

October 2023
Research image of various types of cells.

Vast diversity of human brain cell types revealed in trove of new datasets

by  /  12 October 2023

The collection offers a glimpse into differences in cell composition — across people and brain regions — that may shape neural function.

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September 2023
Research image of organoids in the forebrain.

Head size parts autism into two major subtypes

by  /  12 September 2023

An imbalance in the number of excitatory neurons in early brain development may account for the difference.

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June 2023
A brain slice under a microscope.

Preprint questions validity of postmortem brain studies

by  /  5 June 2023

But the alternatives, including living-brain biopsies, raise logistical and ethical questions, experts say.

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April 2023
Research diagram of gene clusters.

Atlas of gene activity in prenatal brain holds clues to autism

by  /  24 April 2023

Genes exert their strongest influence on the brain in the first half of gestation — a key window for autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

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January 2023
A sliced section of a human brain is displayed for a photograph.

Immunity-linked genes expressed differently in brains of autistic people

by  /  6 January 2023

Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes.

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December 2022
Figure showing an analysis of gene expression in cells across development.

Highly expressed genes may buffer against autism-linked mutations in girls

by  /  14 December 2022

Such high expression levels may account for the condition’s sex bias, a new preprint suggests — but not everyone agrees with that logic.

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November 2022
Light micrograph of microglia cells stained with Rio Hortega’s silver carbonate method.

Autism’s sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression

by  /  22 November 2022

The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.

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Illustration of multipolar neurons.

Consistent, convergent pathways link two forms of autism

by  /  15 November 2022

People with dup15q syndrome and those with idiopathic autism have similar patterns of altered gene expression in early brain development and later in life.

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September 2022
David Geschwind stands in his lab.

Autism researcher Daniel Geschwind nets top National Academies prize

by  /  15 September 2022

The prize recognizes Geschwind’s contributions to our understanding of autism genetics.

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July 2022
Illustration shows calcium signaling astrocytes, which are star-shaped and change color from light blue to purple.

Portrait of a research field: astrocytes in autism

by  /  14 July 2022

Long cast in supporting roles in the brain, astrocytes are now emerging as primary players in certain characteristics of autism and related conditions.

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