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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: signaling imbalance

May 2011

Molecular mechanisms: Gene linked to autism and epilepsy

by  /  25 May 2011

Harmful mutations in a gene that regulates the chemical environment outside of neurons are associated with both autism and epilepsy, according to a study published 31 March in Neurobiology of Disease.

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Scientists probe puzzling overlap of epilepsy and autism

by  /  12 May 2011

Large studies on the epidemiology and genetics of epilepsy and autism have uncovered commonalities between the two disorders. But scientists are only beginning to untangle the biological roots of the overlap.

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March 2011

Molecular mechanisms: Neuroligin-4 induces synapses in a dish

by  /  23 March 2011

Neuroligin-4, a protein associated with autism, is located at synapses — the junctions between neurons — that inhibit signals in the brain, according to a study published in February in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The protein can also single-handedly induce neurons derived from human stem cells to form synapses, according to another study in the same issue.

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February 2011

Terrible twos

by  /  15 February 2011

Children with autism who communicate well are just as likely to suffer from tantrums and other aggressive behaviors as those who have more trouble expressing themselves.

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January 2011

Intense world

by  /  31 January 2011

The ‘intense world theory’ says autism stems from hyper-sensitive reactions to the world, allowing the individual to zoom in on tiny details, but ignore the bigger picture.

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Genetics: Rare mutation found in gene linked to autism

by  /  31 January 2011

Researchers have identified a rare genetic variant linked to autism in DLX1, a gene that regulates the growth of neurons, they reported in December in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

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December 2010

Molecular mechanisms: Imaging technique reveals brain’s diversity

by  /  14 December 2010

A new technique called array tomography allows researchers to visualize individual synapses, the complex junctions between neurons, in the mouse brain. Researchers have also identified several markers that highlight the incredible diversity of synapse types.

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November 2010

Stem cell assay reveals early development of Rett neurons

by  /  16 November 2010

Researchers have developed the first stem cell system that makes it possible to study the early development of neurons from people with Rett syndrome, a rare disorder on the autism spectrum.

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Researchers debut new mouse model for Rett syndrome

by  /  11 November 2010

A new mouse model for Rett syndrome shows that disrupting a single brain messenger can produce nearly all of the characteristic features of the syndrome, researchers report today in Nature.

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October 2010

Molecular mechanisms: Calming neurons have specific responses

by  /  26 October 2010

Most inhibitory neurons respond in the same way to a range of visual stimulation, but a subset of them may be tuned in to specific signals, suggest two reports published in September in Neuron.

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