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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.

November 2011

Researchers unveil seven new rat models of autism

by  /  16 November 2011

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.

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Mouse lines light up the brain’s off switch

by  /  16 November 2011

Researchers have engineered 20 mouse lines that allow them to manipulate genes in specific neuronal circuits. The resource, reported 22 September in Neuron, will allow researchers to better explore the role of interneurons, which dampen signals in the brain, in mouse models of autism. 

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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Drugs that act on the adrenaline system can alleviate autism-like symptoms in a rat model of the disorder, according to unpublished research presented Sunday in Washington, D.C.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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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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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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Amygdala’s links to other brain regions wane with age

by  /  15 November 2011

Connections between the amygdala — a deep nub involved in processing emotions — and other parts of the brain are more numerous in children than in adults, according to unpublished research presented at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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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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