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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: vocalization

October 2011

Two new autism mouse models highlight gene dosage effects

by  /  6 October 2011

Two new genetic mouse models that debuted this week show that having too many or too few copies of certain genetic regions leads to an array of symptoms reminiscent of autism.

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New mouse model mimics many symptoms of autism

by  /  3 October 2011

Mice lacking the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2 show many of the behaviors associated with the disorder, and exhibit brain circuit disruptions similar to those seen in people who carry mutations in the gene.

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September 2011

First mouse model of Timothy syndrome debuts

by  /  5 September 2011

Researchers have created the first mouse model of Timothy syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes heart defects and autism. The findings appeared 30 August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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August 2011

Laugh factory

by  /  26 August 2011

College students prefer the laughter of children with autism to that of typical children. This suggests that laughter may help children with the disorder connect with others.

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Clinical research: Drug increases communication while rats play

by  /  5 August 2011

Giving GLYX-13, a drug that targets an autism-associated brain pathway, to rats bred to be less social increases how much they communicate while playing.

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July 2011

Cognition and behavior: SHANK1 mutant mice keep quiet

by  /  26 July 2011

Mice lacking SHANK1, a member of a family of autism-associated proteins, communicate less with their mothers and potential mates than controls do, according to a study published 9 June in PLoS One.

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June 2011

Molecular mechanisms: Mouse model supports role for SHANK3 in autism

by  /  3 June 2011

Mice with a mutation in SHANK3, a leading autism candidate gene, show moderate social defects, including less-than-normal interest in other mice. The findings, published 27 May in Cell, suggest that mutations in different sites on the gene can lead to different behaviors. This paper was retracted on 17 January 2013. Associate director of research Alan Packer discusses the implications of the retraction here.

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May 2011

Language gene mouse model could help test autism drugs

by  /  16 May 2011

Mice lacking CNTNAP2, a gene linked to autism and language impairment, show behaviors and brain abnormalities that reflect those seen in people with disorder, according to new findings presented Thursday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Diego.

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Promises and limitations of mouse models of autism

by  /  10 May 2011

Good mouse models of autism, and accurate tests to assay their phenotypes, are key to both narrowing down a cause and developing effective treatments, argues expert Jacqueline Crawley.

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April 2011

Genetics: New autism mouse reveals candidate gene

by  /  6 April 2011

A new mouse model for autism has obsessive behaviors and is less social and emits fewer vocalizations than controls, according to a study published 17 March in Behavioral Brain Research. These features could be be the result of much higher levels of FAM46, a gene of unknown function that may be involved in signaling between cells.

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