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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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The Brain

Charting the structure and function of the brain’s many circuits may unravel autism’s mysteries.

Image of a mouse with a lightweight neural recording device implanted in its head moving around a small enclosure and jumping between platforms of various heights.

Lightweight system captures brain activity while mice jump

by  /  26 September 2023
A thin “micro-tether” and rotating connector facilitate uninterrupted, hours-long neural population recordings as the animals freely explore their environment.

Common genetic variants shape the structure of the cortex

by  /  18 September 2023
A genome-wide association study lays a foundation for deeper investigation of these variants in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Research image of brain scans displaying gray-matter volume differences across across six psychiatric conditions.

Alterations in circuits characterize six neuropsychiatric conditions

by  /  13 September 2023
The underlying regional neurobiology of the conditions may differ from person to person.
September 2023
Research image of organoids in the forebrain.

Head size parts autism into two major subtypes

by  /  12 September 2023

An imbalance in the number of excitatory neurons in early brain development may account for the difference.

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A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation

Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan

by  /  11 September 2023

A new individualized approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation may one day be an effective treatment for social and communication difficulties, if the results from Duan’s small preliminary trial pan out.

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Research image of neurons in mice.

Skewed signaling in striatum may spawn repetitive behaviors

by  /  6 September 2023

Synaptic changes in the brain region could drive a core trait of fragile X syndrome, a new mouse study suggests.

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Prairie voles nestling together on white background.

Parental care may sculpt brain development in prairie voles

by  /  1 September 2023

Voles reared primarily by their fathers show altered synapse density.

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Portrait of Evdokia Anagnostou.

Evdokia Anagnostou and the concept of a good life

by  /  1 September 2023

The Holland Bloorview clinician and research director discusses how growing up on a small island shaped her career and the existential questions that keep her up at night.

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August 2023
Research images of protein synthesis in mice.

Neuronal deafness to stress may add to protein surplus in fragile X

by  /  29 August 2023

A protective pathway that pauses protein synthesis is muted in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study.

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A grid of four brain scans showing excess cerebrospinal fluid.

Is excess brain fluid an early marker of autism?

by  /  17 August 2023

Brain scans of hundreds of infants suggest that up to 80 percent of those with autism have unusual amounts of cerebrospinal fluid. Researchers are studying how this might contribute to the condition.

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Close up of blood vessels shows probe sticking to vessel wall.

Brain-surgery-free probes can record single-neuron activity

by  /  15 August 2023

The new devices, which monitor neural activity from within blood vessels, show long-term stability in rats and could one day deliver electrical stimulation.

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Position heatmaps of mice performing a behavioral assay.

New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice

by  /  10 August 2023

Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.

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A research image of the fly brain connectome

Full connectome of adult fruit fly completed, with help from citizen scientists

by  /  7 August 2023

The map, by far the largest one of an entire brain to date, contains 130,000 neurons and 53 million synapses.

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