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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Science & Society

From funding decisions to scientific fraud, a wide range of societal factors shape autism research.

August 2014

Can a drug for a parasitic disease really treat autism?

by  /  6 August 2014

Reports of a century-old drug that reverses autism-like symptoms in mice raise key questions about the complexity of translating promising research into real treatments.

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July 2014

Induced stem cells retain traces of their former state

by  /  30 July 2014

Reprogrammed stem cells carry remnants of their previous cell states in the form of chemical cues that alter gene expression, reports a paper published 10 July in Nature. An alternative method that creates so-called nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells produces fewer errors.

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Charting collaborations in autism research

by  /  18 July 2014

Autism researchers collaborate a great deal, says Helen Tager-Flusberg, and collaboration has increased over the past five years — most likely reflecting the maturation of the field and the greater opportunities to meet.

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Maternal factors, birth order up autism risk

by  /  17 July 2014

Having one child with autism raises the odds of having a second child with the disorder 20-fold, according to one of the largest epidemiological studies so far to address the inheritance of autism risk.

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Computer vision may aid in screening for autism

by  /  16 July 2014

New algorithms can analyze recordings of infants performing tasks that gauge their attention, suggesting a way to automate the detection of autism symptoms.

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The urgent need to shorten autism’s diagnostic odyssey

by ,  /  15 July 2014

With the rate of autism now at 1 in 68 people and climbing, the need for solutions that reach the risk population more quickly and effectively has never been more real, say Dennis Wall and Glenn Saxe.

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Pair of modified enzymes boost gene-editing precision

by  /  9 July 2014

A pair of enzymes improve the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR by providing more precise molecular ‘scissors’ to cut and paste DNA snippets.
 

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Pac-Man maze leads children with autism to ‘good’ smiles

by  /  4 July 2014

A computer game based on face recognition helps children with autism feign expressions more convincingly than before.

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Cognition and behavior: Test assesses sensory sensitivity

by  /  4 July 2014

A new questionnaire may help assess sensory problems — such as heightened awareness of bright colors or loud noises — in adults with autism.

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Cluster of symptoms reveals gene’s link to autism subtype

by  /  3 July 2014

CHD8, a gene that regulates the structure of DNA, is the closest thing so far to an ‘autism gene,’ suggests a study published today in Cell. People with mutations in this gene all have the same cluster of symptoms, including autism.

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