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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: social reward

June 2020
three teens chatting

Brain responses to social stimuli may vary by sex in autism

by  /  29 June 2020

Autistic girls’ brains respond more strongly to social stimuli than do autistic boys’.

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April 2020
Two young women who met in the Action Play theater group and became friends. Lines between the women show their connection.

How people with autism forge friendships

by  /  1 April 2020

Most autistic people want to and can make friends, though their relationships often have a distinctive air.

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December 2019
A single ecstasy pill on a blue background.

Distinct brain pathway underlies ecstasy’s social effects

by  /  11 December 2019

The drug popularly known as ecstasy may boost sociability through brain circuits distinct from that underlying its ‘high.’

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September 2019
row of babies playing with toys that look like genome sequence

Studies of tuberous sclerosis may shed light on biology of autism

by  /  24 September 2019

Tuberous sclerosis provides a unique opportunity to understand autism because about half of people with that single-gene condition also have autism.

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July 2019
boy isolated from social crowd

For autistic children, emotional problems may hinder social success

by ,  /  16 July 2019

Although many children with autism want to engage with peers, their emotional difficulties often get in the way of their relationships.

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May 2019
Brown and black mice in a cage, socializing

Drug may deliver ‘ecstasy’ of social interactions to autistic people

by  /  23 May 2019

The ability to learn from social experiences wanes by adulthood, at least in mice — but the recreational drug ecstasy may bring it back.

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January 2019
Optogenetic mice activity

Study recasts cerebellum as key player in social reward

by  /  17 January 2019

The cerebellum, a brain region primarily associated with movement, may mediate the pleasure that comes from socializing.

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August 2018
One gray mouse sniffs another in an enclosure.

Study revives serotonin as target for autism treatments

by  /  8 August 2018

Boosting the levels of the chemical messenger serotonin makes mice that model autism more social — and brings new hope to a shelved theory in autism.

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July 2018

Reward-system differences may underlie multiple autism features

by  /  30 July 2018

The brain’s system for sensing pleasure and reward shows unusual activation patterns and an atypical structure in people with autism.

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Rat squeaks may reveal autism gene’s role in communication

by  /  2 July 2018

Rats with a mutation in CACNA1C, a gene linked to autism, make fewer happy squeaks while playing than controls do, and ignore other rats’ requests to play.

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