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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.

October 2011

Cognition and behavior: Autism brains similar in girls and boys

by  /  11 October 2011

Girls with autism have more brain matter than do either controls or girls with developmental disabilities. This defect is particularly pronounced in the left superior frontal gyrus, a region in the medial prefrontal cortex that is responsible for higher-order cognitive function.

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Dysmorphology as biomarker for the study of autism

by  /  11 October 2011

Individuals who have autism and dysmorphology comprise a distinct subgroup within the disorder, says geneticist Judith Miles. 

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Tech grant takes aim at autism diagnosis, treatment

by  /  10 October 2011

A $10 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation is funding a five-year project to develop new technologies that can help clinicians diagnose and treat autism.

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Sticky mittens

by  /  7 October 2011

A new study suggests that the key to social development lies in motor development, and in an infant’s early interactions with non-social objects.

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Molecular mechanisms: Neurons may be misdirected in autism

by  /  7 October 2011

The brains of individuals with autism express lower levels of proteins that direct neuronal growth compared with those of controls.

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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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Researchers engineer light-responsive strains of mice

by  /  5 October 2011

Researchers have engineered four new mouse lines that each show activation of a different subset of neurons in response to a blue light.

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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

Three-dimensional re-creation reveals dendrite shapes

by  /  28 September 2011

Researchers have created detailed three-dimensional reconstructions of the numerous complex branches of dendrites, the signal-receiving ends of neurons.

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Cognition and behavior: Mutant mice show social deficits

by  /  28 September 2011

Mice lacking a gene that regulates an important signaling pathway in the central nervous system have severe autism-like social deficits, including little interest in nurturing their offspring and problems with learning and memory.

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