Microbiologists debate the existence of bacteria in the womb, yet another movie relies on stereotypes to portray a person with autism, and the U.S. federal government delays implementation of the Common Rule for clinical research.
We waded through the sea of autism studies published in 2017 and spotted several themes.
Success in a small clinical trial of spinal muscular atrophy suggests gene therapy might treat single-gene conditions related to autism.
Watch the complete replay of this journal club, which featured two papers that explore therapies for Rett syndrome.
A candidate drug in clinical trials for Huntington’s disease reverses gait problems in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.
Mutations in the Rett syndrome gene MECP2 have different effects on subtypes of neurons.
A virus that delivers a working copy of the Rett syndrome gene to the brain improves features of the condition in mice, and appears to be safe in monkeys.
Exposure to certain types of light at night may exacerbate sleep issues among people with autism.
Delivering a fragment of the Rett syndrome gene MECP2 into neurons eases features of the syndrome in a mouse model.
Drugs that block certain brain enzymes could help treat two conditions associated with autism.