Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

topic /

The Brain

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

June 2023
Research image of rodent brain scans.

CRISPR tool rids rodents of oxytocin receptors

by  /  14 June 2023

The approach provides an “off-the-shelf” way for researchers to compare oxytocin function across species, the team says.

Comments
A brain slice under a microscope.

Preprint questions validity of postmortem brain studies

by  /  5 June 2023

But the alternatives, including living-brain biopsies, raise logistical and ethical questions, experts say.

Comments
May 2023
A hand lifts a line graph off of a page and into the air.

Nerve regeneration paper retracted over faked data

by  /  24 May 2023

The paper marks the second retraction for one of the co-authors.

Comments
Illustration of a watch with the face taken up by an MRI scan of a brain.

Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults

by  /  19 May 2023

Few studies have tracked how brain structure and function change across adulthood in people with autism. Carper and her colleagues are collecting data to fill this gap.

Comments
Composite research image of organoids at several stages of development.

Genetic background sways effects of autism-linked mutation

by  /  18 May 2023

Experiments offer clues to why certain mutations are associated with autism in some people and not others.

Comments
Images from structural, functional and diffusion MRI scans.

Dataset maps connectivity in 40,000 brains

by  /  15 May 2023

The new resource aims to aid reproducibility in imaging research.

Comments
Research image of zebrafish forebrains.

Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish

by  /  12 May 2023

The findings add to the growing evidence that genes with disparate functions can play similar roles in brain development.

Comments
Research image of neurons and astrocytes.

Astrocytes fuel erratic firing in fragile X neurons

by  /  10 May 2023

A shift in astrocyte secretions may explain the atypical firing patterns of neurons derived from people with fragile X syndrome.

Comments
Photograph of a white man in a green sweater sitting on a yellow sofa near a large window.

Flawed protocol for levodopa clinical trial brings retractions

by  /  9 May 2023

The retracted studies mar hope for the drug’s use in depression.

Comments
Photograph of white pills and blister pack on blue pastel colored background.

Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results

by  /  5 May 2023

Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.

Comments