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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: SHANK3

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
Image of three developing axons.

Autism’s ties to the cell skeleton

by  /  22 June 2023

Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.

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April 2023
Research video of a zebrafish larva (zoomed in on the gut) being given glucose.

On the periphery: Thinking ‘outside the brain’ offers new ideas about autism

by  /  13 April 2023

Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.

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January 2023
Graham Diering smiles in a portrait in his yard.

Asleep in the Mouse House with Graham Diering

by  /  12 January 2023

Memories from Diering’s life trace the rising star’s scientific path from raising lizards as a child and later exploring home brewing to heading a lab that investigates memory, sleep disturbances and early development in animals with autism-linked mutations.

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December 2022
Composite image of inhibitory and excitatory neurons.

One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids

by  /  2 December 2022

The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.

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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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October 2022
Mouse brain slices showing the effects of SHANK2 and SHANK3 deletions.

Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit’s social role

by  /  19 October 2022

Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.

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September 2022
Lab mice (Mus musculus), tribe Balbc, three 13 day old babies with eyes still closed, laying side by side

Sleepy mice with autism-linked mutation struggle to fall asleep

by  /  12 September 2022

Mice with a mutated copy of SHANK3 fail to establish normal sleep patterns during development.

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Lost sleep sparks lasting social problems in SHANK3 mice

by  /  12 September 2022

Sleep disruption early in life has long-lasting consequences for mice missing a copy of the autism-linked gene SHANK3.

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July 2022

New software flags autism rat model’s telltale squeaks

by  /  29 July 2022

By breaking rodent vocalizations into parts, TrackUSF distinguishes rats with mutations in the SHANK3 gene from their wildtype counterparts.

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