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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: TSC2

September 2014

Brains of children with autism teem with surplus synapses

by  /  4 September 2014

The brains of children with autism do not prune unneeded connections between neurons as they age, leaving them with too many of these neuronal links, according to a study published 21 August in Neuron.

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July 2014

Distinct features signal autism risk in tuberous sclerosis

by  /  7 July 2014

Children who have both the rare genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis complex and autism show a gradual drop in nonverbal intelligence between 1 and 3 years of age, according to research published 11 June in Neurology.

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May 2014

Genetics: Tuberous sclerosis, fragile X share immune changes

by  /  6 May 2014

Two autism-related disorders share disruptions in immune pathways despite major differences in the individual genes affected, according to a study published 24 February in Molecular Autism.

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April 2014

The cerebellum’s surprisingly evolved role in autism

by  /  1 April 2014

Thought until recently to only coordinate motor skills, the cerebellum is involved in diverse cognitive functions such as language and social interaction, and may play a role in autism, says Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom.

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January 2014
Photograph of a magnified section of a cerebellum showing nerve cells in a human brain.

Mounting evidence implicates cerebellum in autism

by  /  6 January 2014

Results from four studies published in the past year point to a role for the cerebellum in autism-related behaviors.

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June 2013
Micrograph of interneuron and pyramidal neuron in the hippocampus.

Signaling imbalance may underlie tuberous sclerosis complex

by  /  17 June 2013

The mutation that causes tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, may disable calming signals in the brain, leading to hyperactive neurons, according to a study published 8 May in Neuron.

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January 2013

Hunt for targets of fragile X protein proves perplexing

by  /  31 January 2013

FMRP, the protein missing in fragile X syndrome, binds to the RNA sequences of 939 genes, 93 of which have been linked to autism, according to a study published 20 December in Nature.

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December 2012

Cognition and behavior: Slow response to faces seen in TSC

by  /  14 December 2012

Children with the autism-related disorder tuberous sclerosis complex show sluggish brain activity in response to images of faces, according to a study published 8 November in the Journal of Child Neurology.

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October 2012

Researchers swing toward monkey models of autism

by  /  18 October 2012

Researchers in Japan have completed the first step in creating transgenic monkey models of autism, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

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Mouse model links autism risk gene to mitochondria

by  /  11 October 2012

A new mouse model provides the first molecular link between the known autism risk gene PTEN and the mitochondrial dysfunction sometimes seen in the disorder. Mice with half the normal amount of PTEN protein in their brains have social deficits reminiscent of autism and faulty mitochondria, according to a study published 10 August in PLoS One.

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