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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Treatments

Efforts to ease the symptoms of autism are beginning to ramp up, with promising candidates in various stages of testing.

March 2012

Molecular mechanisms: Autism protein forms aggregates

by  /  13 March 2012

DISC1, an autism-associated protein, can form large aggregates that deplete the amount of functional DISC1 in cells, according to a study published 14 February in Human Molecular Genetics.

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Clinical trials for autism treatments go online

by  /  8 March 2012

A new clinical trial, conducted entirely online, could provide a model for how to quickly and efficiently test some potential treatments for autism.

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Minority delay

by  /  6 March 2012

Minority children tend to show more severe symptoms of autism early on, regardless of social class.

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February 2012

Documentary review: ‘Le Mur’ (‘The Wall’)

by  /  28 February 2012

The French documentary Le Mur (The Wall) shows that many psychoanalysts in France shun biological explanations for autism.

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Adult intervention

by  /  24 February 2012

A new meta-analysis shows that less than two percent of participants in studies of behavioral interventions for autism are adults.

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Molecular mechanisms: Study reveals new fragile X drug target

by  /  22 February 2012

Researchers have identified a new mechanism that may underlie a runaway cell signaling pathway in fragile X syndrome. The results were published 22 January in Nature Neuroscience.  

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Music reigns

by  /  21 February 2012

Brain imaging studies of people with autism show that specific areas respond more strongly to song than do those of controls. The opposite is true when listening to speech.

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Robot renaissance

by  /  17 February 2012

Engineers have debuted several new robots to help children with autism, including a boy that can sense when it’s touched, a female head that expresses a wide range of emotions and a low-cost fuzzy penguin that can track a child’s eye movements.

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Cognition and behavior: MEG detects sound sensitivity

by  /  17 February 2012

Brain imaging can detect acute sensitivity to sound in individuals with autism, according to a study published 25 January in Neurophysiology.

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Human neuron model tests function of autism-linked genes

by  /  16 February 2012

Simulating neuronal development in culture with cells derived from human brain tissue offers a new way to study the function of autism-linked genes, according to research published in the February issue of Molecular Psychiatry.

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