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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: repetitive behaviors

October 2023
A person stands in front of a neatly organized dresser drawer

Teasing apart insistence on sameness with Mirko Uljarević

by  /  30 October 2023

The hallmark autism trait has multiple facets, Uljarević and his colleagues have found.

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Illustrated portrait of Brian Boyd.

Brian Boyd, classroom-based interventions and the importance of representation

by  /  1 October 2023

The leader of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute talks about what drew him into the autism field, and his departure from — and return to — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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September 2023
A young boy sits alone on a bench in a playground.

Mental health issues emerge with shifts in autism traits across childhood

by  /  27 September 2023

Anxiety and other challenges autistic children experience may stem from an increase in social-communication issues and a decrease in repetitive behaviors from ages 6 to 11.

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Research image of neurons in mice.

Skewed signaling in striatum may spawn repetitive behaviors

by  /  6 September 2023

Synaptic changes in the brain region could drive a core trait of fragile X syndrome, a new mouse study suggests.

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August 2023
Research images of protein synthesis in mice.

Neuronal deafness to stress may add to protein surplus in fragile X

by  /  29 August 2023

A protective pathway that pauses protein synthesis is muted in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study.

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Photograph of a family of rhesus macaque monkeys.

Father’s genes may drive sociability in male monkeys

by  /  18 August 2023

The findings in rhesus macaque monkeys may provide clues to sex differences in the heredity of social behavior in people.

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January 2023
Research image showing neuronal activity in mice exposed to high-frequency sounds.

Missing mechanism helps solve fragile X protein mystery

by  /  24 January 2023

Cells from people with fragile X syndrome overproduce — but don’t accumulate — proteins. New work suggests that excessive protein breakdown may account for this discrepancy, and explain some of the syndrome’s traits.

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A woman sits and works at a laptop while her daughter sits next to her and looks out of a glass door.

New tool aims to capture full breadth of repetitive behaviors

by  /  13 January 2023

The measure breaks the behaviors down into eight distinct subdomains — categorization that could prove useful for clinical trials, its creator says.

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December 2022
Illustration of a pregnant woman seated next to a large diagram of the brain featuring chromosomes, bacteria and other microbes.

The link between maternal infection and autism, explained

by  /  13 December 2022

Having an infection during pregnancy is tied to a small increase in the chances of having an autistic child, but the connection may not be causal.

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November 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: 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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