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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Genes

Rare or common, inherited or spontaneous, mutations form the core of autism risk.

November 2011

Valproate rat model implicates adrenaline in autism

by  /  16 November 2011

Drugs that act on the adrenaline system can alleviate autism-like symptoms in a rat model of the disorder, according to unpublished research presented Sunday in Washington, D.C.

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Brain atlas maps neuronal development in time and space

by  /  16 November 2011

A new tool called BrainSpan is providing researchers with exquisitely detailed windows into when genes are expressed and where they are located as the brain develops. An overview of the project was presented Sunday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Cognition and behavior: Rett syndrome mice are social

by  /  16 November 2011

Mice with a mutation in the Rett syndrome gene are more social than controls, according to a study published 11 September in Behavioral Genetics. The results, based on detailed observation of social behavior, support previous studies showing that Rett syndrome mouse models do not have severe social deficits.

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Video: From men to mice and back again

by  /  15 November 2011

In a video interview at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Joseph Buxbaum discussed the importance of mice with mutations in SHANK3, a leading autism candidate gene.

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Neurexins present only in select neurons

by  /  15 November 2011

Neurexins, autism-linked proteins that organize synapses, the junctions between neurons, function in only a subset of cells in the brain, according to data presented in a poster Monday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Mouse study points to potential therapy for fragile X syndrome

by  /  15 November 2011

A protein involved in the cascade of interactions at the junctions between neurons points to a potential therapy for fragile X syndrome, according to unpublished data presented at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Video: What is the fragile X protein’s role in a neuron?

by  /  15 November 2011

The fragile X protein FMRP helps make proteins at the synapse, the junction between neurons, even when the genetic instructions for doing so are located far away in the nucleus, says Kimberly Huber.

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Meta-analysis refines understanding of brain function

by  /  15 November 2011

Scientists are analyzing more than 7,000 studies of functional magnetic resonance imaging to refine the role of various regions in the brain, according to unpublished work presented Monday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Different doses of Rett protein produce similar effects

by  /  15 November 2011

Mice that have an excess of the Rett syndrome protein MeCP2 have biochemical and neuronal characteristics that are strikingly similar to those of mice that completely lack the protein, according to unpublished research described Sunday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Genetics: Middle East study tags intellectual disability genes

by  /  15 November 2011

By focusing on recessive mutations inherited from both parents, researchers have identified 50 new candidate genes for intellectual disability.

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