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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: SCN2A

December 2023
Research image of microglia in mice.

Microglial overreaction to atypical neurons may drive autism

by  /  7 December 2023

In mice and organoids lacking a neuronal protein, microglia prune synapses to excess.

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July 2023
A slice of a cerebellum

Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex

by  /  7 July 2023

The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.

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June 2023
Research image of gene-edited mouse liver cells compared to controls.

Latest ‘prime-editing’ tools tackle delivery, safety issues

by  /  27 June 2023

The gene-editing advances make it easier to target specific tissues in mice and detect off-target effects.

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November 2022
White laboratory mice isolated on orange luminous glass surface.

New evidence hints at mechanisms for ‘fever effect’ in autism

by  /  15 November 2022

The temporary easing of traits that a minority of autistic children are reported to show during or after a fever may stem from a rise in body temperature.

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November 2021

Dispatches from SfN 2021: Mitochondria, Rett therapy and oxytocin

These short reports from Spectrum journalists highlight some of the autism-related findings that caught our attention at the meeting this past week.

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Three mice sniffing each other.

Reversing mutations in top autism-linked gene makes adult mice more social

by  /  10 November 2021

Treatments that counteract the effects of an SCN2A mutation in mice increase the animals’ sociability in adulthood, according to a new unpublished study.

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August 2021
Micrograph showing missing sodium ion channels in cerebral cortex of mice with two mutated copies of SCN2A gene.

Model mice hint at sodium channel gene’s contribution to autism

by  /  27 August 2021

Altered electrical activity in the neurons of mice with a mutated copy of SCN2A may explain the animals’ autism-like social behaviors.

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Images shows a pyramidal neuron.

How mutations in top autism gene could lead to seizures

by  /  5 August 2021

Deleterious mutations in an autism-associated gene can make neurons hyperexcitable, raising the risk of epileptic seizures.

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July 2021
Illustration shows yellow landscape with blue sections and a lot of trains on paths with kids on the trains, going different directions.

Mapping the futures of autistic children

by  /  14 July 2021

Researchers can roughly project what autistic children’s lives will look like years down the road. But how good is their crystal ball — and what are its benefits?

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May 2021
Neurons in red and green

‘Neurons on a chip’ reveal patterns across autism-linked conditions

by  /  7 May 2021

Activity patterns of neuronal networks link different genetic subtypes of autism that have similar traits, according to new unpublished research.

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