A promising approach to treating fragile X syndrome could benefit people even after the critical window of early brain development, and alleviate core symptoms of autism, according to two studies published this month.
Mutant mice with autism-like behaviors have fewer behavioral impairments when provided with toys, exercise wheels and contact with other mice, than do those that live in typical laboratory cages, according to a study published 5 April in Human Molecular Genetics.
An autism-associated variant in a gene that regulates the chemical messenger serotonin leads to abnormal serotonin regulation and autism-like behaviors in mice. The results were published 3 April in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
There are a host of problems with laboratory rodents that scientists rarely talk about, argues a fascinating series of articles in Slate magazine.
Studying bird species such as the zebra finch can help researchers understand language difficulties in autism, Stephanie White told SFARI.org in a video interview at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
A large scientific research company debuted seven new rat models of autism Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C. Two of the models, one lacking FMR1 and the other lacking NLGN3, show some unexpected new characteristics.
Mice lacking the autism risk gene SHANK2 show social deficits and are extremely hyperactive, according to unpublished research presented Saturday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Male zebra finches have high levels of contactin associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2), a protein that has been linked to autism and language disorders, in a key song-related area of their brains, according to unpublished research presented in a poster session Sunday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Over the past 30 years, autism research pioneer Fred Volkmar says he has learned that researchers should be humble when assigning meaning to autism behavior, and seek to translate their findings into useful applications.
Mouse pups with a duplication of GTF2I, a gene linked to Williams syndrome and autism, show extreme separation anxiety when separated from their mothers, according to unpublished findings presented Thursday at the International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal, Canada.