Features / Special Reports / Hindsight is 2020: The year in review
Rewind: Spectrum’s best from 2020
Our staff picks the stories, podcasts and special reports that stood out from the rest this past year.
TOPIC
Treatments
Efforts to ease the symptoms of autism are beginning to ramp up, with promising candidates in various stages of testing.
News
New gene therapy methods deliver promise
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Two unpublished studies detail improved techniques for delivering gene therapies to the brain.
News
Mouse study sounds note of caution for Rett syndrome therapies
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Treatments for Rett syndrome that aim to boost levels of the protein MECP2 may not help everyone with the condition.
News
Mice show brain, behavior changes weeks after oxytocin treatment
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Intranasal oxytocin may spur new neuron growth and changes in social behavior after a few weeks.
December 2020
Features / Special Reports / Hindsight is 2020: The year in review
Hot topics in autism research, 2020
The Spectrum team highlights five topics that distinguished autism research in 2020: diversity in data, gene therapies, subtyping, social circuitry and the ‘autism gene’ debate.
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Features / Special Reports / Hindsight is 2020: The year in review
Notable papers in autism research, 2020
Gene therapies and the factors influencing autism traits top Spectrum’s list of the 10 most notable research findings we covered in 2020.
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News
Drug helps mice with autism-linked mutation recognize others
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Mice that model 22q11.2 deletion syndrome lack social memory, but that trait can be reversed using a drug that targets the flow of potassium ions in neurons.
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November 2020
Features / Deep Dive
Owen’s odyssey: A year and a half after an autism diagnosis
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This is part 2 of Owen’s story. It tracks his early progress in treatment for autism. Part 1 described his difficult path to a diagnosis.
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Opinion / Viewpoint
Errors of omission: Why we are deeply concerned about research on autism therapies
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Studies of autism treatments rarely report adverse events, and the scientists involved often fail to disclose their conflicts of interest.
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News / Toolbox
Test gauges autistic children’s verbal abilities in natural settings
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An interactive assessment allows clinicians and researchers to evaluate an autistic child’s use of language in everyday social situations.
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News
Prenatal CRISPR therapy blocks Angelman syndrome traits in mice
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A gene-editing treatment shows long-lasting effects in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition related to autism.
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News
Gene therapy trial for autism-linked condition is put on hold
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All five participants in a clinical trial of a gene therapy for Angelman syndrome experienced leg weakness, leading sponsors to pause the study.
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October 2020
Features / Deep Dive
Low standards corrode quality of popular autism therapy
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Rapid growth and inadequate standards in the ‘applied behavior analysis’ industry may put vulnerable children in the hands of poorly prepared technicians.