Features
Fish, frogs, flies and other fauna in scientific firsts
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Over the past century, scientists have used a variety of animal models to advance their understanding of the developing brain and autism.
Tag: SHANK3
September 2021
Features / Special Reports
Special report: Unusual animal models of autism
In the past two decades, some autism researchers have turned to simple animals, such as roundworms, fruit flies and zebrafish, for their investigations. Others have sought answers from experiments with frogs, birds and even octopuses.
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Features / Deep Dive
What studying worms, flies and fish says about autism
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Researchers are increasingly turning to simple animals to learn about autism biology and find leads for new drugs.
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August 2021
News
Visual response shows promise as biomarker in autism-linked condition
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Brain responses to visual stimuli are smaller and weaker in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, an autism-linked genetic condition, than in non-autistic children.
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July 2021
News
Autism-linked mutation may blur brain’s boundary between self, others
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A mutation in the autism-linked gene SHANK3 changes how neurons encode information about social agency in mice.
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June 2021
News
Neural network captures noisy neurons in autism mouse model
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Mice missing the autism-linked gene SHANK3 use more neurons to engage in social behavior than control mice do, reflecting a more disorganized, less efficient brain signaling network.
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April 2021
Opinion / Q&A
Friends of friends: How monkey island’s residents bonded after Hurricane Maria
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On 20 September 2017, Hurricane Maria passed over Puerto Rico’s Cayo Santiago Island, home to more than 1,500 non-native rhesus macaques. After the storm, the monkeys formed new, unexpected relationships in ways that could offer clues about autism.
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March 2021
News
Brain activity jump-starts autism-linked genes in human neurons
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Some neurons activate autism-linked genes when they fire, according to a new study.
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February 2021
Opinion / Q&A
How microscopic ‘condensates’ in cells might contribute to autism
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A controversial idea about how cells compartmentalize their contents into droplets — like beads of oil in water — could be key to understanding autism, says Julie Forman-Kay.
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News
Differing gene functions across species may pose problems for autism models
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Misaligned gene expression maps suggest that some autism-linked genes play distinct roles in mouse and human brains.