Spectrum Autism Research: Recent Episodes
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A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers-the public, medical patients, technology users-the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
As AI-driven systems are integrated into all aspects of science, we need to make sure that they read and write to a shared data and knowledge space.
By comparing the proprioceptive systems of mosquitos and fruit flies, Sweta Agrawal aims to uncover fundamental features of the ability to sense self-movement.
The brain's first foundation models exist because some areas of neuroscience did the slow work of developing and adopting standards to help integrate data. Artificial intelligence cannot do that work for us.
The founding director of the University of Maryland's Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program brought neuroscience, math and engineering together.
When a pair of marmosets works together to earn some marshmallow fluff, one of them decides to act only after its brain accumulates enough evidence about what the other is doing, new work shows.
These systems were not built to explain the brain. But treating them as model organisms that we can perturb and evolve will move us closer to that goal.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus is banking on whole-brain imaging in the Danionella fish to advance neuroscience, but some scientists forced to close their labs say that even with a three-year runway and transitional support, they feel betrayed by the pivot.
The approach helps reveal whether maternal genes contribute directly to autism in children or have indirect effects on the prenatal environment.
A 1987 Cell paper showed that a single transcription factor could turn fibroblasts into muscle cells. The work inspired Ardem Patapoutian to think about the molecular codes that define neuronal subtypes.
Agentic coding makes it possible to specify a neuroscience model in hours instead of months. Seven neuroscientists weigh in on what that tectonic change may bring to the field.
The findings add to a small but growing body of research on neurological changes linked to pregnancy, birth and parenting.
If we want emerging neuroscientists to implement open science throughout their careers, we need to establish its practices as a core principle of training.
Complex, goal-directed and even emotionally responsive behavior can unfold without awareness, providing a useful lens for interpreting artificial systems.
Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.
The "Brainhack" hackathon revealed that disagreement in neuroscience runs deeper than most researchers suspect-even in electrophysiology, a field that prides itself on hard data.
The ethics issues that arise in neuroscience research are usually novel, unresolved and understudied. Embedding ethicists in labs helps scientists navigate these challenges and develop strategies in real time to prevent harm.
Myelin may serve as an energy reserve for the brain, according to recent findings, prompting neuroscientists to rethink how the brain stores, shares and protects energy.
The spatial arrangement of neurons in the locus coeruleus of mice corresponds with the cells' targets across the brain, according to a new study.
A systematic review into whether the "rapid prompting method" or "spelling to communicate" can help autistic people express themselves comes up empty yet again.
A group of employees has launched a series of campaigns to advocate for their work and argue against the center's potential transition to an animal sanctuary.
An autistic researcher's paper called attention to a huge disparity in autism funding research between children and adults. It nearly derailed her life.
The freedom to do "wacky" research projects that interest you is a major perk of the teaching stream, says Suzanne Wood, a teaching professor at the University of Toronto.
Exploring why Anthropic's AI, Claude, displays something like emotion could ultimately help us better understand the function that emotions serve in humans.
In a 1982 paper, the Nobel laureate created his namesake recurrent neural network-work that taught Maria Geffen to always ground research questions in biology.
A first-of-its-kind workshop offers a template for autism researchers who want to incorporate community perspectives into their work.
The neuronal circuit controlling repetitive locomotion patterns in any animal has been a mystery until now.
Artificial intelligence is pushing scientific publishing to the brink. For a field as sprawling as neuroscience, the crisis may also be an opportunity to finally connect findings across subfields.
The meeting last week sparked concerns about the latest Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's ability to perform its core function: developing a strategy to support autism research.
In a "surprise" role, the cells regulate the neurons that produce gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
The results mark a "dramatic shift" in how neuroscientists think about sex differences, and they may help explain sex biases in certain neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Face patch cells in macaque monkeys initially respond to images of any object but rapidly transition to attend to faces exclusively, a new study finds.
As a fellow at the Dana Foundation, she merged two familiar passions and discovered a new one: science philanthropy.
Complex, multidimensional tasks that unfold over time could reveal how different brain areas work together to support decisions.
Estropipate, paclitaxel and levocarnitine altered behaviors tied to SCN2A and DYRK1A variants specifically, a new open-source platform revealed.
The findings could influence how researchers interpret signals from techniques that use blood flow as a surrogate for neuronal activity.
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
Four statistical measurements of neural network geometry capture how well brains and artificial networks use what they already know to solve new problems, a study suggests.
Researchers must learn to view heterogeneity as an essential feature of the systems they study and a central consideration in experimental design, not a variable to control for or reduce.
Her favorite part of research was talking about it. So she left academia and turned that passion into a successful company.
Senescence presents differently depending on the cell type, toxic trigger and neighboring cells, two new studies find.
The changes would restrict the sharing of human neuroimaging, transcriptomic and genetic data.
Addressing this gap will require collecting widespread data on pregnancy, menopause and other life events women experience-and could bring us closer to the "holy grail" of linking brain and behavior.
Adjusting genetic analyses could help plug autism's heritability gap, according to a new preprint.
In a 2011 Neuron study, Stephan Lammel and his colleagues showed that dopamine neurons with different projections have different physiological properties. The work inspired Lerner to think about how to challenge widely held assumptions in the field.
New cross-species findings may help settle a long-standing debate about whether the hippocampus is required for passive learning.
Finding creative ways to keep early-career researchers in academia-for example, through part-time roles-can help the field weather the storm.
Dynamic coding helps explain how the brain processes multiple features of speech-from the smallest units of sounds to full sentences-simultaneously.
The cells amplify oxytocin-and may be responsible for sex differences in social behavior, two preprints find.
Carola Städele, a self-proclaimed "tick magnet," studies the arachnids' sensory neurobiology-in other words, how these tiny parasites zero in on their next meal.
Simple math suggests that small groups of scientists can significantly bias peer review.
The immune-conflict between dam and fetus could help explain sex differences in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Sam Wang, a neuroscientist running for the U.S. House of Representatives, has been considering American democracy for decades.
Brain activity patterns in the ventral visual cortex appear to distinguish images across 12 categories, including birds and trees, longitudinal functional MRI scans suggest.
After a clinical research career, an interlude at Apple and four months in early retirement, Raphe Bernier found joy in teaching.
The genetic variants initially affect brain development in unique ways, but over time they converge on common molecular pathways.
Studying individual synapses has the potential to help neuroscientists develop new theories, better understand brain disorders and reevaluate 70 years of work on synaptic transmission plasticity.
If our field is serious about building general principles of brain function, cross-species dialogue must become a core organizing principle rather than an afterthought.
Without the mechanosensor TMEM63A, the cells cannot deposit the appropriate amount of insulation, according to a new study.
Degradation-resistant proteins pass from neurons to glial cells in a process that may spread protein clumps around the brain, according to a study in mice.
Defining brain cell types is no longer a matter of classification alone, but of embedding their genetic identities within the dynamical organization of population activity.
The board of directors at Oregon Health & Science University, which runs the primate center, voted unanimously in favor of the move.
One of four language-responsive cerebellar regions may encode meaningful information, much like the cortical language network in the left hemisphere, according to a new study.
"MacArthur genius" Kenneth Catania outlined the physiology behind the moles' stellar foraging skills two decades ago. Next, he wants to better characterize their food-seeking behavior.
The atlas details the genetics, birth dates and gene-expression signatures of roughly 150 neuron subtypes in the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord.
The policy aimed to increase the transparency of research in humans but created "a bureaucratic nightmare" for basic neuroscientists.
If the struggle to articulate an idea is part of how you come to understand it, then tools that bypass that struggle might degrade your capacity for the kind of thinking that matters most for actual discovery.
The retroviral insert appears to inadvertently switch off a gene involved in brain development.
Studying how organisms infer indirect threats and understand changing contexts can establish a common framework that bridges species and levels of analysis.
Neuroscience is chasing the complexity of social behavior, yet we have not answered the simplest question in the chain: How does a brain know "who is who"? Emerging multi-agent artificial intelligence may help accelerate our understanding of this fundamental computation.
Certain gene variants may have greater weight in determining autism likelihood for some populations, a new study shows.
Two independent teams in Africa are developing stem cell lines and organoids from local populations to explore neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
Dissecting different parallel processing streams may help us understand the mechanisms underlying psychiatric symptoms, such as delusions, and unite human and animal research.
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf's 2006 "stilts and stumps" Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
Rather than act as a simple switchboard for innate behaviors, the hypothalamus encodes an animal's internal state, which influences behavior.
A countenance such as a grimace activates many of the same cortical pathways as voluntary facial movements.
Since debunking an urban legend that headbutting animals don't damage their brain, Nicole Ackermans has been investigating how the behavior correlates with neurodegeneration.
A competition to design small, efficient neural models might provide new insight into real brains-and perhaps unite disparate modeling efforts.
Amid the rise of billion-parameter models, I argue that toy models, with just a few neurons, remain essential-and may be all neuroscience needs.
Simple behavioral assays-originally validated as drug-screening tools-fall short in studies that aim to unpack the psychedelic mechanism of action, so some behavioral neuroscientists are developing more nuanced tasks.
The comprehensive resource details data on microcephaly, polymicrogyria, epilepsy and intellectual disability from 352 people.
These guidelines can help researchers ensure the integrity of their work while accelerating progress on important scientific questions.
A growing list of medications-such as zuranolone for postpartum depression, suzetrigine for pain, and the gepants class of migraine medicines-exist because of insights from basic research.
Synchronized signals in non-neuronal retinal cells draw the tiny compartments of a fruit fly's compound eye into alignment during pupal development.
Four experts weigh in on how to establish ethical guardrails for research on the 3D neuron clusters as these models become ever more complex.
The dataset contains images of children's faces downloaded from websites about autism, which sparked concerns at Springer Nature about consent and reliability.
Generative artificial intelligence will offer a new way to see, simulate and hypothesize about how animals experience their worlds. In doing so, it could help bridge the long-standing gap between neural function and behavior.
Neuronal activity induced by the psychedelic drug strengthens inputs from sensory brain areas and weakens cortico-cortical recurrent loops.
Machine learning should not be a replacement for human judgment but rather help us embrace the various assumptions and interpretations that shape behavioral research.
The 2013 Nature paper by Mattia Rigotti and his colleagues revealed how mixed selectivity neurons-cells that are not selectively tuned to a stimulus-play a key role in cognition.
Cerebrospinal fluid shows brain-region-specific dynamics, a new high-resolution MRI approach reveals.
Some age-related changes in the brain and in behavior are not solely the result of cognitive decline but rather part of a larger adaptive process.
We asked nine neuroscientists how they are using FlyWire data in their labs, how the connectome has transformed the field and what new tools they would like to see in the future.
Functional synapses between brain cells and cancer cells are key to the metastatic growth, according to new findings from two independent teams.
Despite the many psychedelics clinical trials underway, there is still much we don't know about how these drugs work. Preclinical studies represent our best viable avenue to answer these lingering questions.
Building reproducible systems across labs is possible, even in large-scale neuroscience projects. You just need rigor, collaboration and the willingness to look your own practices dead in the eye.
The mapping, which traces how the central nervous system interacts with the rest of the body, challenges the idea that behavior control is centralized.
The traditional mechanistic framework must give way to a richer understanding of how brains actually generate behavior over time.
Concerns include the administration's reliance on weak, correlational evidence rather than established research.
Friedemann Zenke's 2019 paper, and its related coding tutorial SpyTorch, made it possible to apply modern machine learning to spiking neural networks. The innovation reinvigorated the field.
The map of a comb jelly's aboral nerve net, which helps the animal orient and position itself within the water column, reveals a unique system for sensing the world and coordinating movement.
The notice, posted last week in Nature, follows a recent string of corrections to at least three other articles by Li-Huei Tsai’s lab.
These partnerships accelerate neuroscience by enabling researchers to share resources and expertise, as well as generate more relevant and reproducible results. But new federal funding restrictions in the United States are putting such collaborations in jeopardy.
The new work, in mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2, suggests a mechanism to help explain the overlap between epilepsy and autism.
During waking hours, a specialized set of sleep neurons in the fly brain accumulates reactive oxygen species, which eventually trigger sleep to clean up and repair the damage they do.
Black In Neuro is launching a new program to help historically Black colleges and universities advance neuroscience research and education, focusing on cross-institutional collaboration, joint curriculum development and improved mentoring initiatives.
In 2025, the words we use to describe emotions matter, but their definitions are controversial. Here, I unpack the different positions in this space and the rationales behind them—and I invite 13 experts to chime in.
By contrast, varied doses of the same genes decrease or increase the odds of five other conditions, with distinct biological consequences, two new preprints show.
The networks are plastic, connect brain regions that aren’t connected by neurons and may enable long-distance communication between astrocytes, a new preprint shows.
Efficiency isn’t everything. The cognitive work of struggling with prose may be a crucial part of what drives scientific progress.
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.
Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.
Funding from the Swartz and Sloan Foundations helped bring physicists and mathematicians into neuroscience for more than 30 years.
Researchers are developing software entirely through natural language conversations with advanced large language models. The trend is transforming how research gets done—but it also presents new challenges for evaluating the outcomes.
The results from a new longitudinal study contradict classic findings in monkeys but may not warrant a rewriting of the textbooks just yet.
Around 30 minutes of imaging per person seems to be the “sweet spot” for linking functional connectivity differences to traits in an accurate and cost-effective way.
Capturing the rodents’ vocalizations and movements in the wild offers an opportunity to study naturalistic behaviors in a complex urban environment, Mackevicius and Peterson say.
An explosion in open-neuroscience datasets has created a new generation of researchers with expertise in data science. But new federal restrictions in the United States put their research programs in jeopardy.
Grouping people with autism based on shared features, genetics and co-occurring conditions may improve clinical trial outcomes, researchers say.
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.
Our current approach is largely arbitrary. We need new methods for grouping cells, ideally by their dynamics.
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.
The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.
Neural manifold properties can help us understand how animal brains deal with complex information, execute flexible behaviors and reuse common computations.
Analyses that include low-quality MRI data underestimate cortical thickness and overestimate cortical surface area, according to new findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Post-puff brain state might not be an emotion, some researchers caution, but the protocol provides a cross-species approach to study emotions.
Neuroscience in other countries will strengthen—at the United States’ expense—as rising visa restrictions and rejections block many international students from enrolling at U.S. institutions and dissuade others from applying.
The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.
Variants in genes tied to both conditions derail the formation of cilia, the tiny hair-like structure found on almost every cell in the body, a new study finds.
Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.
The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.
Brain function is inexorably shaped by the body. Embracing this fact will benefit computational models of real brain function, as well as the design of artificial neural networks.
An analysis of more than 5,000 autistic children and their siblings underscores the idea that autism can be understood as multiple conditions with distinct trajectories.
To identify fundamental neuroscientific principles that generalize across species, neuroscientists must frame their research through an evolutionary lens.
The new NIH policy calls for greater incorporation of new approach methodologies in all future Notices of Funding Opportunities related to animal model systems.
As grants are canceled, delayed and subject to general uncertainty, participating in study sections can feel futile. But it’s more important than ever.
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
A 2022 paper was retracted after an independent team of researchers reanalyzed the data and questioned its validity.
Predictive sensory processing in sleeping Drosophila echoes vertebrate research, establishing an evolutionarily conserved neural signature of sleep.
Data reuse represents an opportunity to accelerate the pace of science, reduce costs and increase the value of our collective research investments. New tools that make open data easier to use—and new pressures, including funding cuts—may increase uptake.
But the finding has not settled the long-standing debate over the existence and extent of neurogenesis during adulthood, says Yale University neuroscientist Juan Arellano.
Astrocytes serve as crucial mediators of neuromodulatory processes previously attributed to direct communication between neurons, four new studies show.
Cyclic shifts in estradiol levels coincide with changes in dendritic spine density and the activity of place cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, a new study shows.
After decades of debate, the region’s role is being rewritten. Rather than using sensory input to simply log key points in time and space, the hippocampus may serve to contextualize our experiences and memories—and ultimately make predictions about the future.
Effectively teaching students how to employ AI in their writing assignments requires clear guidelines—and detailed, case-specific examples.
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.
People with the syndrome, caused by variants in the gene PTEN, often have autism or cancer, or both, but it depends on the genetic diversity encoded in the components of distinct cell signaling pathways, according to a new study.
Cells in the bogong moth brain respond to astral landmarks to orient the insects in the direction they need to go.
This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught me to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.
The results help explain how the hippocampus can recall information about a place without an animal physically revisiting it.
Movement-sensing neurons that target the striatum influence a mouse’s choice of action by favoring routine.
The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.
Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.
The interpeduncular nucleus produces an aversion to nicotine, even at low doses, and helps moderate how rewarding mice find the drug.
New findings on the role of neural activity in developing circuits are challenging our prior notions about the rules that govern critical periods.
Human neuroscience research has largely overlooked this spatial scale—which bridges cells and brain areas. But new advances in functional MRI technology are changing that.
First an educator and now an internationally recognized researcher, the Kenyan psychologist is changing autism science and services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Donald Hebb’s theory—memorably summarized as “cells that fire together, wire together”—does not explain the shifting hippocampal connections in mice learning to navigate a virtual environment, according to a new study.
For decades, scientists have been teased by the strange but inaccessible cephalopod visual system. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough from a lab in Oregon, data are finally coming straight from the octopus brain.
Neuroscientists have long ignored the variability in animals’ behavioral responses in favor of studying differences across groups. But work on the brain differences that underlie that variability is beginning to pay off.
Regulatory T cells in the spinal meninges release endogenous opioids in a sex-specific manner, new work shows.
A competition that trains language models on relatively small datasets of words, closer in size to what a child hears up to age 13, seeks solutions to some of the major challenges of today’s large language models.
The annual meeting brought autism researchers, advocates and clinicians to Seattle to discuss the latest research, including attempts to define subgroups, a potential new CHD8 macaque model and life expectancy gaps.
It’s unclear if the cancellation at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse extends to the fellowships awarded by other institutes within the National Institutes of Health.
Trainees from underrepresented backgrounds are losing pillars of support in the current funding climate. Grassroots mentorship organizations are stepping in to continue championing early-career researchers.
Valerio Mante and David Sussillo, along with their mentors Krishna Shenoy and Bill Newsome, revealed the complexity of neural population dynamics and the power of recurrent neural networks.
A lack of six new brain donors may stop the project from meeting its goal to pair molecular and cellular data with the functional organization of the cortex.
Whether looking back at his career highlights or forward to his latest projects, the psychiatrist is committed to supporting autistic people at every age.
The rapid eye movement (REM) phase preserves newly acquired memories, but deeper non-REM sleep helps to adapt and update them, according to “heroic” day-long electrode recordings in rats.
We need a new conceptual framework for understanding cognitive functions—particularly how globally distributed brain states are formed and maintained for hours.
Evolutionarily newer regions sport mitochondria with a higher capacity for energy production than older regions, according to the first detailed map of the organelles in a tissue slice, adding to mounting evidence that the brain features a metabolic gradient.
A game-changing cell culture method developed in Ben Barres’ lab completely transformed the way we study astrocytes and helped me build a career studying their reactive substates.
Part of our job as educators is to give students a deeper understanding of the true diversity of sex and gender in the natural world.
But to fully grasp the tools’ potential, we need to better understand how electric and magnetic fields interact with the brain.
Person-to-person variability in brain activity might represent meaningful differences in cognitive processes, rather than random noise.
It’s time to fashion olfactory neuroscience stimuli based on odor concentrations in the wild, say study investigators Elizabeth Hong and Matt Wachowiak.
Recent technological advances provide a range of new and different information about brain physiology. But taking full advantage of these gains depends on collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists.
Researchers associated with the repositories received an email from the U.S. National Institutes of Health in March noting that they must comply with a 20 January executive order from President Trump that recognizes only two sexes: male and female.
A cubic millimeter of brain tissue, meticulously sectioned, stained and scrutinized over the past seven years, reveals in stunning detail the role of inhibitory interneurons in brain structure and function.
We need to develop research programs that link phenomena across levels, from genes and molecules to cells, circuits, networks and behavior.
Transplanted cells offer insight into human-specific properties, such as a lengthy cortical development and sensitivity to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease.
Even in the absence of any formal instruction to do so, we should continue to hold our ourselves and our neuroscience colleagues accountable for SABV practices.
As this work begins to bear fruit, researchers “are becoming less afraid to ask very difficult questions that you can uniquely ask in people.”
A government spending bill, which was approved today by the House of Representatives and heads next to a Senate vote, allocates 20 percent less funding for the program than last year.
A lack of programming experience can derail experimental aspirations. But custom software packages, web-based applications and video tutorials make functional MRI concepts easier to grasp.
“It’s hard to know what’s real,” says neuroscientist Josh Dubnau after a dizzying week in which diversity-related grant applications were pulled from study sections only to be reinstated five days later, among other reversals.
Neuronal and non-neuronal cells throughout the brain also express genes—particularly those related to neuronal structure and immune function—differently in aged mice, according to a new atlas.
Although studying sex differences in the brain is complex, technically awkward and socioculturally loaded, it is absolutely essential.
The choroid plexus, the protective network of blood vessels and epithelial cells that line the brain’s ventricles, recruits neutrophils and macrophages during inflammation, a new study shows.
As the history of this nascent discipline reveals, neuroscience has inspired advances in artificial intelligence, and AI has provided a testing ground for models in neuroscience, accelerating progress in both fields.
Leveraging start-up “dummy scans,” which are typically discarded in imaging analyses, can shorten an experiment’s length and make data collection more efficient, a new study reveals.
New results suggest the disease progresses differently in women, but we need more basic science to unpack the mechanisms involved.
Fiser’s work taught me how to think about grounding computational models in biologically plausible implementations.
The NIH-sponsored effort aims to help incentivize scientists to share data. But many barriers to the widespread adoption of useful data-sharing remain.
A detailed look at a “pregnant brain” highlights a need to investigate the neural alterations that occur during a transition experienced by nearly 140 million people worldwide each year.
The field is grappling with whether to modify the long-standing theory of reward prediction error—or abandon it entirely.
Nicole Rust describes her career-changing literary journey of joy, free will and the evolution of a field.
Few institutions have mechanisms for the type of long-term positions that would best benefit the science.
This statistical error is common in systems neuroscience. Fortunately, straightforward methods can help you prevent it.
The insect-cognition researcher has done his work across continents, but Argentina is never far from his mind.
An omitted citation in a high-profile paper led us to examine our own practices and to help others adopt tools that promote citation diversity.
As the U.S. Congress begins to discuss federal science funding for 2025, any plans to compensate for this year's cuts to the neuroscience program face an uphill battle.
The French researcher's accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.
This mashup of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and even linguistics and philosophy of mind aims to crack the deep question of what "understanding" is, however un-brain-like its models may be.
New research is resurfacing old ideas about where the protein forms the disease's hallmark plaques.
Old heuristics to acknowledge contributors-calling out first and last authors, with everyone else in between-don't work well for large collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, yet they remain the default.
Emerging methods make it possible to combine the two tactics from opposite ends of the analytic spectrum, enabling scientists to have their cake and eat it too.
As a new professor, I was caught off guard by one part of the job: my role as an evaluator.
Her advocacy work aided the discovery of a rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and helped connect affected people with researchers.
Follow these four tips to avoid using the information in problematic ways, including as a proxy for environmental variables.
The feedback could lead to "novel ways" to conduct studies and reduce health disparities, a National Institutes of Health employee says.
Sympathetic neurons pepper the embryos of the jawless fish-Earth's first vertebrates-and overturn the idea that "fight or flight" was an innovation of jawed vertebrates.
The facility's institutional review board failed to report a 2021 incident and "serious and ongoing noncompliance" by a principal investigator, according to a letter released by the federal agency this week.
We found an issue with a specific type of brain imaging study and tried to share it with the field. Then the backlash began.
Technological advancements have made it possible to study animals in more natural settings, but researchers are debating what that really means and whether natural is always better.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health wants to regulate research involving cephalopods. But there aren't enough rigorous studies to base the regulations on, veteran cephalopod researchers say.
The retraction follows an editorial expression of concern that the journal applied to the paper in October, seven months after it was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Activity in the tiny brain region helps submissive rodents learn to avoid aggressors, and aggressive mice to curb their attacks, according to two recent studies.
The award-winning researcher's discoveries have changed the way we think about the brain; that's exactly what her critics dislike.
The cerebellum swelled in size before flight evolved among modern birds' dinosaur ancestors, according to a new comparison of fossilized skulls and living birds.
New technology that delivers much more than a simple DNA sequence could have a major impact on brain research, enabling researchers to study transcript diversity, imprinting and more.
To make data truly reusable, we need to invest in data curators, who help people enter the information into repositories.
People with electrodes embedded deep in their brain are collaborating with a growing posse of plucky researchers to uncover the mysteries of real-world recall.
Nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body can turbocharge tumor growth — a finding that not only expands conventional ideas about the nervous system but points to novel therapeutic targets for a range of malignancies.
The collection offers a glimpse into differences in cell composition — across people and brain regions — that may shape neural function.
More than one-third of a cohort of autistic toddlers no longer meet criteria for the condition at school age, according to a new study, but the findings may not generalize because the cohort is predominantly white and affluent.
After 10 years of work, Neurona may have the data to quiet its skeptics. But its ongoing clinical trial will be the ultimate test.
The mutations disrupt protein translation as well as the cell’s skeleton, according to a new study.
Increasing or reducing the levels of the UBE3A gene, which is associated with autism and autism-related syndromes, results in altered patterns of synaptic pruning — a process that snips away brain cell connections.
Autism researchers can’t agree on how far to go to validate the input they gather from minimally verbal autistic people who use certain communication devices.
A genome-wide association study lays a foundation for deeper investigation of these variants in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Postdoctoral positions are relatively short, so starting out on the right foot can make all the difference. Researchers offer their advice for making that happen.
The underlying regional neurobiology of the conditions may differ from person to person.
The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.
A protective pathway that pauses protein synthesis is muted in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study.
Most children with the condition, however, gain communication and social abilities over time.
Jammed online surveys and invaded video calls are forcing researchers to rethink their outreach methods.
The findings in rhesus macaque monkeys may provide clues to sex differences in the heredity of social behavior in people.
Brain scans of hundreds of infants suggest that up to 80 percent of those with autism have unusual amounts of cerebrospinal fluid. Researchers are studying how this might contribute to the condition.
Academics are not always aware of the standards — both explicit and implicit — that are used to assess them for promotion. We explore these expectations and more in this month’s issue of the Spectrum Launch newsletter.
The most prevalent conditions include obesity, neurological disorders, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
The 4-year-old journal focuses on research that aims to improve the lives of autistic adults.
The New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City is undergoing an audit and a change in leadership following a suicide that occurred during one of its clinical trials.
A speech-language pathologist by training, Wetherby has spent more than four decades developing tools to help identify and treat autism early; now her work has taken on a more personal sense of urgency.
The mutation increases the activity of an autism-linked protein and leads to social difficulties and other behavior differences in mice.
The request is energizing scientists investigating autistic people who largely don’t communicate with spoken words.
When combined with tissue-inflation methods, the microscope can image axons without the need for tissue slicing, the researchers say.
But multiple independent researchers say they are not convinced by its results, which fail to confirm high-profile findings from 2017.
Nonrandom mating — the propensity for people to partner with others who share their traits — can increase the likelihood of autism or other conditions across generations.
Mice with microglia missing receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin since birth have too many synapses and show social difficulties in adulthood.
Whole-genome sequencing data — which include information about mitochondrial DNA — offer clues to why mutations in the same gene can lead to autism or cancer.
Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.
Triplett gained media attention for his autism later in life, and he became the face of the effort to research the lives of older adults with autism.
A renowned researcher’s eye for detail has given her a second career and a new following.
A text-predicting chatbot parses text from conversations in a way that parallels brain-activity patterns associated with speech production and comprehension.
The journal’s decision comes two years after Spectrum covered backlash from researchers over the study.
Next-generation trackers could realize a long-standing research dream: conducting sleep studies in large numbers of autistic people.
But the alternatives, including living-brain biopsies, raise logistical and ethical questions, experts say.
Minimally verbal autistic preschoolers gained new words and phrases in a head-to-head comparison of two interventions.
Changes to the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for autism were meant to add clarity, but they also generated new questions.
A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.
The drug clemastine and other compounds that fortify the protective sheath around neurons may prove therapeutic for some genetic neurodevelopmental conditions.
These scores — composite measures of a person’s autism-linked common genetic variants — cannot predict an autism diagnosis but could help researchers better understand the condition’s underlying biology.
Experiments offer clues to why certain mutations are associated with autism in some people and not others.Source
New data from clinical trials of arbaclofen and oxytocin underscore the murkiness of null results. Plus, researchers seek clarity on the neurodevelopmental effects of oxytocin during childbirth.Source
The chimeric mouse model could provide a more realistic way to study microglia’s roles in brain conditions such as autism.Source
Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.Source
The largest analysis of human samples to date, plus work in mice and zebrafish, detail the gene KMT5B’s role in brain development.Source
The Northeastern University psychology professor’s website offers a wealth of resources about how to navigate an academic career.Source
Researchers at INSAR 2023 need to discuss these questions and remember that the purpose of research may be different for different communities.Source
Mice and zebrafish missing the GIGYF1 gene show social traits reminiscent of autism, though the molecular underpinnings are unclear.Source
More than 100 parents who used the drug during pregnancy claim it caused their child’s autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, although the science behind the allegations is murky.Source
The phase 2A trial has its detractors despite positive animal results and is being sponsored by a company that is struggling financially.Source
Profound autism prevalence rose from 2002 to 2016, though not nearly as much as non-profound autism did.Source
Researchers and clinicians were quick to point out the flaws in the study, and a flood of work refuted it.Source
In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, researchers upend early interventions and diagnostic boundaries.Source
The Gender Self-Report could help autism researchers include more gender-diverse people across a range of ages and neurotypes in their work.Source
A study published last week in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that autism is more common among people born in areas with high levels of lithium in drinking water, but it is too soon to say whether prenatal lithium exposure is truly a concern.Source
The mutation prevents certain amino acids from entering neurons, causing the cells to die early in development.Source
The result raises hopes for an ongoing clinical trial in people — and offers fresh insight into the biology of imprinting and the UBE3A antisense transcript.Source
The changes may help explain the link between maternal infection and autism, though more research is needed.Source
By revealing differences between autistic and non-autistic children, it could help identify autism in babies.Source
A machine-learning technique applied to brain imaging data appears to predict a person’s mix of verbal intelligence, social affect and repetitive behaviors.Source
Male rats prenatally exposed to a maternal immune response have atypical responses to other rats in distress, according to a new study.Source
About 1 in 36 children in the United States has autism, up almost 20 percent from the previous estimate, reflecting improved identification, particularly among girls and Black, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander children.Source
Cannabidiol (CBD) blocks the action of a molecule that drives an overexcitability feedback loop in a rodent model of epilepsy.Source
The approach improves the function of SYNGAP1-deficient neurons in vitro, but whether it will work in people remains unclear.Source
The map diagrams more than half a million neuronal connections in the first complete connectome of Drosophila and holds clues about which brain architectures best support learning.
The post Wiring map reveals how larval fruit fly brain converts sensory signals to movement appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The proteins are part of a newly discovered complex that mends genetic damage exclusively in neurons.
The post To repair DNA, neurons harness autism-linked proteins appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The new tool may pose challenges for the scientific community, but used wisely, it can help researchers save time and resources.
The post Spectrum Launch: How early-career researchers can use ChatGPT to boost productivity appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.
The post New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Both human and mouse progenitor cells with the alterations struggle to become neurons and instead express genes that are typically active only in muscle or the heart. The post Autism-linked MYT1L mutations prompt ‘identity crisis’ in budding brain cells appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The approach removes methyl tags from the gene and shields it from other silencing factors without changing the gene itself, raising hopes for a new treatment. The post Epigenome edits unmute MECP2 in Rett-like neurons appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
FMR1 loss impairs sodium channels, hindering mouse neurons from generating the electrical signals needed to transmit information. The post Neurons struggle to spike without fragile X gene appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Connections between 13 autism-linked proteins and their binding partners in excitatory neurons implicate a new molecular pathway. The post Fishing for protein partners nets clues to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Exposing neurons to valproic acid, a well-known environmental risk factor for autism, disrupts their ability to generate different proteins from the same gene. The post Chromatin remodeling tied to altered splicing in autism model appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Five autism-linked genes widely known as chromatin regulators appear to also shape the cell’s internal skeleton. The post Autism-linked chromatin regulators may moonlight as microtubule influencers appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new measure shows how greatly movement influences associations between traits and brain activity, revealing abundant false positives and false negatives. The post Head motion mars most fMRI results, even after correction appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Elsevier’s retractions focus on peer review and conflicts of interest. The post Prolific autism researcher has two dozen papers retracted appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The findings put genetic background forward to help explain autism’s heterogeneity. The post CHD8 mutation in 33 mouse strains yields range of traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Serious differences in autism identification persist, according to an analysis of autistic children in New Jersey over 16 years. The post Racial, economic disparities skew New Jersey data on autism, intellectual disability appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
CRISPR-edited prairie voles that lack receptors for the so-called “social hormone” still bond with their mate and pups, raising questions about the molecule’s role. The post ‘Mind-blowing’ study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
To include more autistic people in research, here's what scientists need to know about informed consent procedures for study participants who have impaired decision-making capacity. The post Decisional capacity and informed consent, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane. The post Mutations in autism-linked gene cause membrane mischief appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The questionnaire, designed to screen children for autism, isn’t ready for clinical use without further validation, contrary to what some overblown newspaper headlines reported. The post Tempering tales of a new autism measure: A conversation with Thomas Frazier appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
This edition takes aim at the autism-intervention evidence base with a slew of null results, plus findings that challenge a prevailing autism brain theory. The post Null & Noteworthy: Intervention flops; neural noise; gender care appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Shortly after the study’s publication, experts critiqued it on PubPeer and other online platforms. The post ‘Science working as it should’: Autism blood signature study earns open post-publication review appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
‘Tis the season for grad school meet and greets. But what are interviewers looking for, and how can early-career researchers bring their best? The post Spectrum Launch: What makes a good graduate school interview? appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Memories from Diering’s life trace the rising star’s scientific path from raising lizards as a child and later exploring home brewing to heading a lab that investigates memory, sleep disturbances and early development in animals with autism-linked mutations. The post Asleep in the Mouse House with Graham Diering appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Most people with the X-linked syndrome have autism traits, and about one-quarter meet diagnostic criteria for the condition. The post Turner syndrome tied to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes. The post Immunity-linked genes expressed differently in brains of autistic people appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how, cilia differences contribute to the condition. The post Autism and the cell’s antennae appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Common diagnostic and research practices may be adding to autism’s sex bias, but there are some simple steps scientists can take to counteract it. The post How scientists can counteract their unwitting contributions to autism’s sex bias appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Brazil could learn from the challenges and successes of other nations to become a leader in planning for the needs of autistic people. The post How to plan policies that support the autism community in Brazil: Lessons from a U.S. experience appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
This year saw the debut of ever-more complex techniques to grow and analyze brain organoids and other 3D tissue cultures, among other advances. The post Hot topics in autism research in 2022 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Rumbaugh, who studies how the autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 shapes brain development, describes how he has embraced coastal living and which aspects of his career he wouldn’t do over. The post Beyond the bench: Finding balance with Gavin Rumbaugh appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Having an infection during pregnancy is tied to a small increase in the chances of having an autistic child, but the connection may not be causal. The post The link between maternal infection and autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Faulty mTOR signaling, implicated in syndromic forms of autism, also hinders cells grown from people with idiopathic autism or autism-linked deletions on chromosome 16. The post Autism subgroups converge on cell growth pathway appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The approach could help test hypotheses about how atypical function of the brain’s immune cells contributes to autism. The post Mapping tool reveals microglia’s shape-shifting secrets appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The in-depth approach shows mutations in the autism-linked gene disrupt neuronal growth and communication, as well as mitochondrial gene expression. The post Multi-omics study captures CNTNAP2’s far-ranging effects appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Early-career researchers talk about the challenges around taking time off, and a new study shows that young scientists tend to be more innovative than their older colleagues. The post Spectrum Launch: Carving out vacation time as an early-career researcher appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The model enables the study of autism-linked genes at the earliest stages of neural development. The post ‘Assembloids’ lay bare autism-linked genes that hamper neuron development appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways. The post One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Brain cell clusters serve as drug screens and reveal connectivity differences for autism-linked conditions, two new models show. The post Organoids identify potential therapies, circuit flaws for autism-linked syndromes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology. The post Autism’s sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head. The post Excess of ‘don’t eat me’ cell signals may drive brain enlargement in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with dup15q syndrome and those with idiopathic autism have similar patterns of altered gene expression in early brain development and later in life. The post Consistent, convergent pathways link two forms of autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Brain scans of the hippocampus reveal autistic people who are at increased risk of cognitive problems as they get older. The post Brain’s memory center flags autistic adults at risk for cognitive decline appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
New studies bolster the idea that zebrafish models can say something meaningful about social behavior in autism. The post Zebrafish social behavior swims into mainstream appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these men as founders of the field. The post The new history of autism, part III appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these men as founders of the field. The post The new history of autism, part II appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these men as founders of the field. The post The new history of autism, part I appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The gene, YTHDF2, has not previously been linked to autism. The post Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An analysis of 11 cortical regions shows anterior-to-posterior shifts in gene expression linked to autism. The post Autism brain signature most pronounced in sensory areas appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The study also reveals a link between language development and common variants. The post A mix of common and rare variants shapes autism inheritance patterns appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
My experience at the Autism-Europe International Congress — and as a parent of a child with profound autism — makes me more convinced than ever that we need to bifurcate the diagnosis of ‘autism spectrum disorder’ and add a new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ to better serve this vulnerable population. The post It’s time to embrace ‘profound autism’ appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Few autistic people undergo the recommended genetic testing for their condition, and test results often do not make their way into public databases, where researchers and clinicians can learn from them. The post Lags in genetic testing, variant reporting hinder autism research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The findings, based on Swedish national registry data, suggest a critical need to expand mental health services for autistic people. The post Psychiatric conditions hospitalize almost one in three autistic women by age 25 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Compared with their unaffected siblings and unrelated controls, children with autism harbor more copy number variants in genes that govern the circadian cycle or are associated with insomnia. The post Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice. The post Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit’s social role appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A meeting in Texas reckons with the future of treatment, following two setbacks in 2020. The post What next for Angelman? appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Researchers can maximize the impact of their results by engaging policymakers more effectively. The post Five tips for translating research findings into smart public policy appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The transplanted cells integrate into living animals’ neural circuitry and influence behavior. The post Human cortical organoids forge functional circuits in rat brains appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Common variants in five regions of the genome may determine whether someone has one condition versus the other. The post Genome scan spots common variant differences between autism and ADHD appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The results highlight the importance of subgrouping study participants based on their underlying genetics, the researchers say. The post Autism’s genetic heterogeneity evident in brain connectivity patterns appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The code may help scientists identify people with the autism-linked condition and recruit them into clinical trials. The post New diagnostic code for PTEN syndrome may spur research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Their plans stand to improve how autistic children from racial or ethnic minorities are evaluated. The post Neuropsychologists launch efforts to diversify field appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with the autism-linked syndrome lack a protein implicated in several cancers, but it’s unclear whether — or how — they are protected from malignancies. The post The cloudy connection between fragile X and cancer appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
After a brain transplant of reprogrammed human cells, the animals can for the first time recapitulate some neuronal changes seen in people with fragile X syndrome. The post Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The machine-learning approach could help identify how brain structure differs between autistic and non-autistic infants, the researchers say. The post New mapping method reveals subtleties of brain development appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The technique involves editing the cellular instructions to make MECP2 protein and partially restores its levels in the brainstem. The post RNA rewrite improves breathing, survival in Rett mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The long-standing link between maternal infection during pregnancy and having a child with autism may reflect common genetic or environmental factors instead. The post Registry review casts doubt on causal link between maternal infection and autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A well-studied brain response to sound appears earlier than usual in young children with autism. The post Auditory cortex may develop early in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions. The post How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell’s approach to autism research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autistic researchers say that academia could be the perfect place for them — but a number of obstacles stand in the way. The post Autistic academics seek inclusivity to combat burnout appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The prize recognizes Geschwind’s contributions to our understanding of autism genetics. The post Autism researcher Daniel Geschwind nets top National Academies prize appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Prenatal exposure to topiramate increases a child’s autism odds, according to the study that prompted the inquiry, but experts caution that pregnant people with epilepsy have few other options for controlling seizures. The post U.K. health authority investigates epilepsy drug’s link to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The field of ABA needs more compassion and individualization. The post Applied behavior analysis and autism: Flawed application of a proven science appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
What these genes do and how they affect autism depends on when in development they’re studied, despite what classic ‘gene ontology’ analyses say. The post ‘Double duty’ autism-linked genes upend conventional characterizations appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Roche’s gene therapy drug Rugonersen boosts expression of the protein missing in the syndrome in mice and monkeys, but whether it works in people remains to be seen. The post Promising preclinical results prompt Angelman therapy trial appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Showing an association is not enough to determine causation. The post Studies investigating link between screen time and autism must improve appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The mutations occur spontaneously in noncoding stretches of DNA that control gene expression. The post Mutations disrupting chromatin interactions contribute to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Some clinicians say the term describes a subtype of autism, but others dispute its validity and say it is harmful to the autistic community. The post Pathological demand avoidance in autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Interventions that moderate a need for ‘sameness’ may prevent anxiety traits. The post Yen for routine seeds anxiety in autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Troves of sequencing data reveal genes tied to autism through different variant types, providing a more complete picture of the condition’s genetic roots and new clues to its heterogeneity. The post Scans of sundry variant types uncover autism-linked genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The new tool may help researchers reconstruct the sequence of biological events that underlie development. The post ‘Retro-Cascorder’ tracks gene-expression timing appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A researcher's existential crisis led to a scientific breakthrough. The post In deep water with Gül Dölen appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A researcher's existential crisis led to a scientific breakthrough. The post In deep water with Gül Dölen appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Women who carry genetic variants tied to autism have an elevated chance of experiencing pregnancy-related events linked to the condition in their children. The post Maternal genetics may confound studies of autism’s link to prenatal factors appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A theoretical neuroscientist, Ann Kennedy uses a blend of computational modeling and real-world experiments to understand how brain activity shapes the behaviors of animals that model autism and other conditions. The post Rising star: Ann Kennedy bridges gap between biology, computational theory appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A theoretical neuroscientist, Ann Kennedy uses a blend of computational modeling and real-world experiments to understand how brain activity shapes the behaviors of animals that model autism and other conditions. The post Rising star: Ann Kennedy bridges gap between biology, computational theory appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Interim results from the previously paused trial suggest that doses of the experimental gene therapy drug GTX-102 are well tolerated in children with the autism-linked condition. The post Angelman therapy appears safer in restarted trial appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Regions of the brain’s fear center expand in autistic children and teenagers with anxiety, but not in their autistic or non-autistic peers without anxiety. The post Anxiety drives amygdala differences in autistic youth appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Most autistic children in the Netherlands have used some sort of treatment, but the number, type and timing varies depending on considerations unrelated to their condition. The post Factors other than autism traits guide therapies for autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People who have ‘profound autism’ — those with severe intellectual disability, limited communication abilities or both — tend to be excluded from research. The Autism Science Foundation seeks to change that. The post New program offers $35K grants to study ‘profound autism’ appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An overabundance of ribosomes drives an imbalance of proteins produced from long and short genetic transcripts in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. The post Plethora of protein-making machines in neurons may underlie fragile X appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
About 15 percent of genes currently included in clinical genetic tests for autism or intellectual disability don’t have enough evidence to support their ties to the conditions, the panel found. The post How an expert panel evaluates genes for autism genetic tests appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The vast stretches of DNA that don't code for proteins could fill key knowledge gaps about autism genetics. But making sense of it all won't be easy. The post The final frontier: Autism geneticists take on the noncoding genome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The growth differences vary between autistic boys and girls and are most apparent among children with prominent social difficulties. The post Amygdala-linked brain areas grow differently in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
When the federal public health emergency expires, so too could temporary insurance coverage of applied behavior analysis conducted remotely. A proposed rule could block those changes, however, at least for people with public insurance. The post Access to virtual autism therapy in US could narrow post-COVID appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A handful of scientists are committed to advancing research on the autism-related genetic conditions their own children have. The post The most personalized medicine: Studying your own child’s rare condition appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging data support the remote tactics that kept autism diagnosis going during lockdowns. The post Evidence for remote autism assessments trickles in appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Swiss biotech Stalicla hopes to bring precision medicine to autism. Experts praise efforts to identify autism subgroups, but evidence to support the company’s claims has yet to be seen.
Swiss biotech Stalicla hopes to bring precision medicine to autism. Experts praise efforts to identify autism subgroups, but evidence to support the company’s claims has yet to be seen.
Swiss biotech Stalicla hopes to bring precision medicine to autism. Experts praise efforts to identify autism subgroups, but evidence to support the company’s claims has yet to be seen.
Swiss biotech Stalicla hopes to bring precision medicine to autism. Experts praise efforts to identify autism subgroups, but evidence to support the company's claims has yet to be seen. The post Meet the company trying precision medicine for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The signaling molecule’s social role in the ‘little brain’ involves Purkinje neurons in the Crus I and Crus II regions, a new study reveals. The post Mouse study links dopamine in cerebellum to social behavior appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The inflammation associated with the disease, particularly in mothers, may contribute to autism traits in children. The post Autism linked to inflammatory bowel disease in parents appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Therapies that target the circuit could boost social activity, new findings suggest. The post Autism-linked mutation disrupts brain circuit to change social behavior appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Even temporary bouts of too little non-REM sleep can lead to long-term changes in how the animals respond to certain social situations, new research suggests. The post Poor sleep shifts social circuit in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Siblings of autistic females are more likely to have autism than siblings of autistic males are, and mothers of autistic children carry more common, autism-linked variants than fathers do. The post Common inherited variants tied to autism show sex bias in families appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The approach, tested in mice, selectively boosts the expression of the autism-linked gene SCN1A in a subgroup of inhibitory cells. The post Gene therapy targets interneurons to tackle Dravet syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Scientists must focus on the importance of representative study samples and of engaging with diverse autism community members. The post Ways to make autism research more diverse and inclusive appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The study, which investigated a microRNA’s links to autism, appears to contain duplicated and fabricated data, according to research integrity analysts. Those issues reflect a larger problem in the literature. The post Data irregularities surface for study of microRNAs in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Neurons with a faulty copy of SETD1A, a gene tied to autism and schizophrenia, show structural abnormalities and altered connectivity patterns. The post Autism-linked mutation alters neuronal network activity appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
By as early as age 2, autistic children appear to have a smaller salience network and a larger default mode network, among other differences, than children without the condition. The post Brain networks diverge in autism by toddlerhood appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The cells’ altered proliferation rates hint at ways to diagnose and potentially treat autism earlier. The post Different forms of autism have opposite problems with brain precursor cells appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Strategies to replace or compensate for mutated copies of the TCF4 gene could lead to treatments for this profound form of autism, a new study suggests. The post Organoids test gene therapies for Pitt-Hopkins syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Different combinations of common, rare, inherited and spontaneous mutations may explain why traits vary so widely among autistic people. The post Spectrum of variants contribute differently to autism traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Researchers updated the tool’s scoring system to better align with the experiences of autistic people. The post Standard quality-of-life screener validated for autistic adults appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Machine-learning tools are widely available and can help speed up studies in animal models of autism. Here’s how to get started with the ‘minimal viable product’ and a few pro tips. The post Six steps to using machine learning for animal behavior research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
After a months-long review, the United Kingdom’s Health Research Authority upheld an earlier ethics approval for the embattled autism genetics study. The post Spectrum 10K gets green light from ethics agency appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The findings contradict a previous study, whose design may have been biased to find an effect. The post Fever doesn’t ease challenging traits in most autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The findings, based on Swedish national registry data, suggest a critical need to expand mental health services for autistic people. The post Psychiatric conditions hospitalize almost one in four autistic women by age 25 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Implicit biases might be to blame, and the discrepancy persists across clinics, regardless of maternal education, family income and a child’s IQ score. The post Clinicians lack confidence in diagnostic interviews with Black mothers appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Even the best data practices and technology drop key variants in attempts to predict autism likelihood. The post Information loss may weaken autism genetic scores appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The young researcher from Uruguay uses her expertise in genetics — and discipline as a former athlete — to untangle sleep's role in neurodevelopmental conditions, one experiment at a time. The post Rising star: Lucia Peixoto, breaking down the interplay between sleep and autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new longitudinal study paints a favorable picture of the outcomes for many autistic adults in the city of Yokohama. The post Autistic adults in Japan stay active in their communities, households appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Having a genetic predisposition to inflammation is linked to structural changes in brain regions implicated in neurodevelopmental conditions. The post Inflammation may reshape brain regions tied to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
By coupling the tool — called SLEAP — with optogenetics, researchers can determine the neural circuits underlying social behaviors. The post Deep-learning tool tracks interacting animals in real time appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The “tortured phrases” — strangely worded paraphrases of established terms — may be the work of software that attempts to disguise plagiarism. The post ‘Tainted kids,’ other odd phrases cropping up in autism studies appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Previous Spectrum reporting called out this paper and several others — all on unrelated subjects — that mysteriously cite autism papers. The post Journal retracts paper on plant beauty that cited autism study appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Among people who carry the fragile X premutation, about 14 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls meet the criteria for autism, but the ‘broad autism phenotype’ may be far more common. The post A whisper of autism: Fragile X carriers and the autism phenotype appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The experimental compound, called GSK-LSD1, enhances social preferences and reduces repetitive grooming in mice, according to a new study. The post Histone-modifying drug improves autism-like behaviors in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Among the millions displaced by the war in Ukraine are children and adults with autism. Many autism professionals are doing what they can to help. The post Researchers, advocates rush to aid autistic Ukrainians appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Black and Hispanic people with autism in North Carolina are 15 and 37 percent less likely, respectively, to receive a Medicaid waiver than their white counterparts are. The post Access to Medicaid waivers varies with race, age, region appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The open-source device achieves subcellular resolution in a larger tissue volume than was possible with prior miniscopes, without impinging upon a mouse’s behavior. The post Miniature microscope records thousands of neurons in moving mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Dozens of rare mutations of unknown effects seen in autistic people cause significant changes to fruit flies, suggesting they are linked to the condition. The post Fruit flies help reveal effects of autism-linked mutations appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Early interventions for autism lack solid data. The source of this problem is murky but may stem from ongoing debates about evidence quality and entrenched conflicts of interest within the field. The post Why autism therapies have an evidence problem appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Menopause poses significant challenges for autistic people, according to a small survey published in 2020 — the first to explore the transition among people with autism traits. The post Autism and menopause: Q&A with Rachel Moseley and Julie Turner-Cobb appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Some autism researchers and clinicians say they are boycotting the upcoming annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research in Austin, Texas, because of the state’s controversial health policies and lack of COVID-19 mitigation strategies. The post Pandemic, politics temper INSAR’s in-person return appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Models trained on datasets that lack racial and ethnic diversity perform less accurately on brain scans from Black Americans than their white counterparts. The post Biases skew behavioral predictions from brain scans appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The calcium-sensing instrument translates neuronal activity into signals that can be detected via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The post New MRI probe illuminates neuronal interactions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A brain area called the tail of the striatum may account for the shift. The post Unfamiliar surroundings bring out autism-like behaviors, brain circuit changes in model mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Inspired by watching her autistic nephew grow up, Croen has also been an advocate for bolstering research and services for autistic adults. The post Lisa Croen: Autism’s first dedicated epidemiologist appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Deep-learning algorithms can cut through some of the noise in brain imaging data collected across different sites. The post Neural network finds markers of autism, gender in brain scans appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The neurons, which have low levels of the gene ASH1L, sprout more branches after the treatment. The post Drug boosts growth of neurons deficient in autism-linked protein appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An overreliance on small studies with limited reproducibility has slowed the advancement of neuroimaging, a new analysis suggests. The post Power shortages dim results of many neuroimaging studies appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Neurona Health, a company in San Francisco, California, backed away from part of its newly launched services after Spectrum started reporting about them. The post Web-based autism screening service raises a host of concerns appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A 3D optogenetics method can mimic natural rhythms of neural activity, rendering previously unanswerable questions amenable to inquiry — including questions about autism. The post Switching neurons on and off to probe autism circuits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
To think that what we are witnessing now in Ukraine is far removed from the world of autism would be a huge mistake. The post My hope for Ukrainians with autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
In an online survey, autistic people reported that they often have trouble using the telephone to make medical appointments and experience sensory overload in waiting rooms, among other health care barriers. The post Health-care barriers prevent many autistic people from seeking medical treatment appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The pandemic has forced many health-care students to train online, raising concerns about their readiness. The post New autism clinicians reflect on skill gaps, gains after remote training appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Given the known link between severe maternal infections and autism, some scientists are investigating whether COVID-19 during pregnancy can affect a child’s neurodevelopment. The post As the pandemic wanes, will autism diagnoses rise in its wake? appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People who heard about SPARK, a genetic study of autism, directly from a physician were more likely to enroll than those who heard about the project elsewhere. The post Electronic health record alerts for physicians boost autism study enrollment appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genetics strongly influences some aspects of the monkey’s social behavior, including tendencies to solicit grooming and sit or play alone. The post Macaques’ social skills tied to variation in autism-linked genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autistic children experience language regression for about three months in early childhood, but this lapse does not appear to foretell future communication issues. The post Early language loss in autistic children not tied to later communication problems appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The researchers attempted to retroactively identify signs of autism in people who died by suicide, but their analysis is not convincing. The post Flawed methods undermine study on undiagnosed autism and suicide appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Just 30 percent of editors of neuroscience journals are women, according to a new study. For autism-specific journals, by comparison, women make up 48 percent of editors, a Spectrum analysis shows. The post Women outnumbered among editors of top journals in neuroscience, but not in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The brain region, which is involved in fear and emotion processing, develops differently in autistic children with anxiety than in those without anxiety or in non-autistic children; its development also depends on the type of anxiety a child experiences. The post Amygdala development diverges in autism-specific anxiety appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Sleep problems may contribute to or derive from autism traits — or both. After decades of work, researchers are beginning to uncover the biological connections between the two conditions, revealing new paths to potential treatments. The post Cracking autism’s sleep conundrum appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Petrus de Vries is on a quest to outfit Africa, the continent of his birth, with trained autism researchers and service providers. The post Petrus de Vries: Architect of the autism research field in Africa appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Only a quarter of more than 1,000 autism intervention studies published since 1990 report on participants’ races and ethnicities, and just one included a Native American participant. The post Most autism intervention studies lack data on race, ethnicity appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mutations in the autism-linked gene PAX5 underlie a range of traits, including developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures and autism. The post Top autism candidate gene tied to newly identified syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A modified version of a probe commonly used in animals detected neuronal activity across different cortical layers in three people undergoing brain surgery. The post Probe captures neuronal conversations in people appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The connection is likely mediated by environmental, not genetic, factors, according to a new study. The post Anorexia before or during pregnancy linked to having a child with autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The fact that autism seems to affect more boys than girls is often attributed to diagnostic gaps, but the skew remains largely unexplained. Some scientists are turning to basic biology for answers. The post Searching for the biology behind autism’s sex bias appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Activating the immune system blunts social behavior in mice missing a copy of the autism-linked gene SHANK3, according to a new study. Blocking TRPV4, which encodes an ion channel involved in inflammatory responses, can reverse this effect. The post Immune gene tied to social behavior in autism mouse model appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A basic scientist at heart, Hollis Cline has spent decades pushing the boundaries of what researchers can see in the brain. Her persistence has led to a deeper understanding of how some autism-linked genes influence brain development. The post Hollis Cline: Leapfrogging over gaps in autism research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The paper relied on parent-reported data and adjusted for few potentially confounding variables. The post Study links screen time to autism, but problems abound appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Girls and young women with Rett syndrome have less severe anxiety and breathing problems after treatment with trofinetide, an analogue of insulin-like growth factor 1, according to an unpublished placebo-controlled trial. The post Growth factor analogue shows promise for Rett syndrome in late-stage trial appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mice missing a copy of the gene ASH1L have excess synapses and autism-like behavioral differences, some of which are reversed by boosting an ASH1L-regulated gene. The post Loss of autism-linked gene alters synapse development in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Some copy number variants may boost a person’s chances of having autism, but to a lesser extent than previously thought. The post Population study downgrades some copy number variants’ impact on autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic people from historically marginalized races and ethnicities are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed with accompanying health conditions. The post Autism comorbidities reflect racial, ethnic disparities appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism studies are appearing in the reference lists of entirely unrelated papers, suggesting what a few scholars worry is a plot to manipulate citations. The post Why was a study about autism cited by a paper on plant beauty? appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
When pediatrician Kristin Sohl isn’t building programs to improve care for and research about autistic people, you can find her reading psychological thrillers or playing Pokémon Go. The post Beyond the Bench: A conversation with Kristin Sohl appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Despite scant publicly available data, makers of the 'exposome'-based method say it could help with diagnosing autism and identifying subtypes. The post FDA cites hair-based autism diagnostic aid as ‘breakthrough’ appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Among thousands of Danish adults diagnosed with autism after age 18, less than half were diagnosed with a psychiatric condition as children, a new study shows. The post Adult autism diagnoses don’t routinely follow other diagnoses in childhood appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Motor differences are more relevant than has historically been appreciated for understanding, assessing and supporting people on the spectrum. The post Motor skills in autism: A missed opportunity appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Oxytocin, cemented in the popular imagination as the “love molecule,” could serve as a treatment for some autistic people who naturally have low levels of the hormone, researchers say. The post The connection between oxytocin and autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism may involve different levels of RNA isoforms encoded by genes in the brain, which express many more proteins than previously thought. The post Alternate RNA versions of genes may shape autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Over the past decade, researchers have looked for rare mutations found in people with autism but not in their neurotypical parents or siblings.
How chemical tags called methyl groups position themselves on genetic sequences may hint at some of the causes of autism. The post DNA methylation in autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genes that appear to play a role in some birds' ability to learn songs are frequently mutated in autistic people. The post Birdsong-related DNA sequences tied to autism-linked genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Use of the term ‘profound autism’ is among the recommendations made by a panel of autism researchers, clinicians, autistic adults and parents of autistic people. The post First-of-its-kind commission defines ‘profound autism,’ issues recommendations appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Undisclosed financial conflicts and a lack of proper clearance mar a new study that injected four autistic children with stem cells from their own bone marrow, independent experts say. The post Ethical issues cloud case report of unproven stem cell therapy for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Almost 60 percent of autistic people may have an average or above-average intelligence quotient, according to a new longitudinal study. The post Autism without intellectual impairments more common than previously reported appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism prevalence in the United States rose to 1 in 44 children in 2018, up from 1 in 54 in 2016. The post U.S. autism prevalence inches upward as racial gaps close appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autistic people have a little-known trait called alexithymia, defined as having difficulty identifying one's own emotions. New research suggests that the overlap has been confounding studies of emotional issues in people with autism for decades. The post How an understudied trait has skewed autism studies for decades appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Shafali Jeste has spent the bulk of her scientific career searching for biological markers of autism. Her goal: to improve lives through early diagnosis and speedy testing of therapies. The post Shafali Jeste: Early autism meets its match appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Rare variants that alter the expression of genes in the brain contribute to autism in people who also have a rare autism-linked mutation, according to a new study. The post Genetic effects stack up in some people with autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autistic children rate the therapy as less effective at treating their anxiety than their parents and clinicians do. The post Cognitive behavioral therapy may be only mildly effective for anxious, autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Activating certain receptors in the amygdala — a treatment that runs counter to a leading theory of what causes the condition — can reverse some traits in rats. The post Fragile X theory falters on amygdala test appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Cortical organoids that contain non-neuronal brain cells called microglia may reflect human neurodevelopment more faithfully than those that don’t. The post Including immune cells in brain organoids improves model’s accuracy appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Compared with a previous mouse strain, a new model better reflects some of the difficulties that people with a rare autism-related syndrome experience, and may help identify biomarkers of the syndrome. The post Sex bias emerges in new mouse model with autism-linked mutation appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
When scientists successfully partner with autistic people, the autistic community gains a voice in autism research, and the data are more reliable, experts say. Here’s how to build a successful collaboration. The post Six steps to engaging in participatory autism research appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The percentage of Black researchers presenting at neuroscience conferences has increased by only a meager amount since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. The post Despite calls to action, Black scientists remain underrepresented at neuroscience meetings appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Treating cognitive inflexibility — for example, by practicing problem-solving — might help ease anxiety and depression in autistic people. The post Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The algorithm estimates a child’s likelihood of having autism from patterns of co-occurring conditions in electronic health records, outperforming a widely used screening test. The post Deep-learning model may accurately predict autism diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The hormone is no better than placebo at boosting social behavior in autistic children, according to a new study, but it may still benefit a subset of people with the condition. The post Intranasal oxytocin ineffective for autism in large trial appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A drug that helps promote gene expression reduces repetitive behaviors and improves memory and sociability in a mouse model of autism. The post Cancer drug alters autism-like traits in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic children from low-income families are diagnosed about eight months later than their wealthier peers, a new analysis of insurance claims in Virginia shows. The post Missed check-ups, delayed autism diagnoses among low-income children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
After imposing a pause in November 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for a clinical trial of a gene therapy for Angelman syndrome. The post Paused Angelman syndrome trial to restart appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The stubborn lack of treatments for fragile X syndrome — a leading cause of inherited intellectual disability and autism — is spurring researchers to revise clinical trial techniques and revisit old drug candidates. The post Finding a path forward for fragile X drugs appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Social memory, which may be altered in autism, depends on serotonin-sensitive neurons that send signals from the medial septum to the hippocampus. The post Serotonin shapes social memory signals appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The possibility of microbial treatments for autism has inspired a burst of research and nascent clinical trials, but new research suggests these efforts rest on shaky scientific ground. The post Despite flurry of findings, doubts dog gut microbes’ role in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Common and rare variants in or near autism-associated genes can have opposite effects on cognition. The post Autism-linked genetic variants increase, decrease intelligence appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Fallout over two recent studies highlights the potential power of social media to shape science, and the shifting dynamics between researchers and the autistic community. The post Backlash from autistic community pauses research, exposes communication gaps appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Parallels between how birds learn to sing and how children learn to speak provide a window into the roots of language difficulties in autism. The post Tuning into bird songs for clues to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
For 40 years, the preponderance of autism research has focused on understanding the causes and characteristics of the condition rather than testing assessments or interventions in community settings. The post Autism research continues to stress basic science over improving interventions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic people have a higher-than-average chance of developing a neurodegenerative condition, according to a few studies. Some scientists are searching for proof — work that could also improve care for older autistic adults. The post "The search for a link between autism and neurodegenerative conditions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Some types of restricted and repetitive behaviors become more prevalent among autistic children and teenagers over time, depending on their age and intellectual ability, whereas others decrease. The post Repetitive behaviors wax and wane among autistic youth appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Children born to people given an epidural during labor do not have an increased chance of having autism, according to two new studies. The post "No link between epidurals and autism, two studies confirm" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Spontaneous genetic mutations contribute to autism in 30 to 39 percent of all people with the condition, and 52 to 67 percent of autistic children whose siblings do not also have the condition. The post "Analysis ups estimate of spontaneous mutations’ role in autism" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
One of the most popular theories of autism’s origins suggests that the condition arises from a hyper-excitable brain. The post "The signaling imbalance theory of autism, explained" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
An advanced DNA-sequencing technique has identified gene-damaging mutations, some with ties to autism, in about 1 in 15 men. The post "Mutations linked to autism may be detectable in men’s sperm" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Differences in social behavior are central to autism, and the roots of those behaviors extend throughout the animal kingdom, says Anne Simon, a behavioral geneticist at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada.
Scientists have also studied the nighttime rituals of another autism model: zebrafish (Danio rerio). Gene-editing techniques enable scientists to create zebrafish with autism-linked mutations, and then they can easily assess how the mutations effect behavior.
In 2012, geneticist Santhosh Girirajan boarded a plane in Seattle, where he had just finished a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington. On the plane, he cracked open a book he had received as a going-away present: “Time, Love, Memory,” the story of biologist Seymour Benzer’s Nobel Prize-winning discoveries about sleep and circadian rhythms in fruit flies.
Rand began using roundworms to study nervous system development in the 1970s. In the mid-2000s, when some of the first studies of autism genetics were published, he remembered something his wife had brought up years before, around the time their two sons were diagnosed with autism.
In a windowless room near the western edge of Vancouver, Canada, a team of researchers trains microscopes on dishes of tiny worms about the size of a comma in 12-point font.
Octopuses can solve some of the same problems as people but do so in unusual ways. The post "Getting eight arms around autism appeared first" Spectrum | Autism Research News
Frogs are useful for autism research for a slew of reasons, including the fact that the animals' initial development occurs outside of the mother's body in plain view. The post "Autism research makes the leap to frogs" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Parallels between how birds learn to sing and how children learn to speak provide a window into the roots of language difficulties in autism. The post "Tuning into bird songs for clues to autism" Spectrum | Autism Research News
Steve Warren co-discovered the genetic mechanism that underpins fragile X syndrome and was a generous, inspiring mentor to many. The post"Remembering Steve Warren (1953-2021): A giant in the field of genetics" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
A Paris-born child psychologist, Fombonne has advanced bold positions on the cause, prevalence and nature of autism during a career spanning four countries. The post "Eric Fombonne: Crossing continents to expand autism science"appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Studies of autism subtypes rarely validate their results, and this has led to a proliferation of autism subtypes of questionable utility. But reliable subtyping can help improve the prognosis for and care of autistic people. The post "Validating autism subtypes: A crucial but often overlooked step in research" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Researchers have known that genes contribute to autism since the 1970s, when a team found that identical twins often share the condition. The post "Autism Genetics Explained" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Thousands of protein-protein interactions mapped in mice reveal how these networks shift across seven kinds of tissue. The post "Protein atlas doubles number of known interactions in mice" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Despite the growing interest in alexithymia in autism research, the tools commonly used to measure this trait may not work reliably in autistic populations. A new scoring method fills that gap. The post "Measuring alexithymia in autistic people" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Children born to mothers who take antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy are not more likely to have autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or to be born preterm or underweight. The post "Prenatal exposure to antipsychotic medication does not increase odds of autism, ADHD" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Mounting evidence suggests that autism often involves upsets in homeostatic plasticity, a set of processes neurons use to stabilize their activity. These disruptions result from a range of autism-linked mutations and may help to explain the condition’s famed heterogeneity. The post "Disruptions to brain’s ‘thermostat’ may underpin autism traits" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Brain cells from the cerebellums of mice that model show dampened levels of proteins controlled by FMRP, the protein missing in fragile X syndrome. The post "Molecular overlap links tuberous sclerosis, fragile X appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Premature birth is tied to an increased chance of having autism, according to the largest study yet looking for a potential connection between prematurity and autism. The post "Large study strengthens link between autism, preterm birth" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Conflicts of interest and methodological issues sully a study published 18 July in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, autism researchers say. The post "Contentious study prompts backlash from autism researchers" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
The same genetic factors may underlie both autism and autistic people's tendency to have sleep problems, such as insomnia."Genetic roots of sleep issues, autism may be entwined" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
As treatments for some autism-linked genetic conditions inch closer to the clinic, researchers are talking more urgently about screening all newborns for such conditions. The post The push to screen newborns for rare autism-linked genetic conditions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A large, whole-genome sequencing study of families yields insights into ultra-rare genetic variants that contribute to autism. The post "Ultra-rare variants point to new autism candidate genes" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mosaic mutations, which affect only some of the body’s cells, play a small but meaningful role in autism. Though they are difficult to study, researchers are working to master their complexity. The post "Patchwork mutations present a new frontier for autism research" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
When probing the circuits underlying social behavior in animal models of autism, researchers should consider potentially confounding variables, use multiple behavioral assays and report results in a descriptive and unbiased manner. The post "How to avoid common pitfalls when parsing circuit control of social behavior" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people. The post Double empathy, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, researchers open the case on acetaminophen and close it on oxytocin. The post "Null and Noteworthy: Oxytocin, parental training, outcome assessments" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
A growing array of studies adds detail to this picture, identifying clues to which general trajectory a child is likely to follow. Early social skills are emerging as one reliable indicator.
A growing array of studies adds detail to this picture, identifying clues to which general trajectory a child is likely to follow. Early social skills are emerging as one reliable indicator.
For better or worse, clinicians have informally predicted autistic people’s life trajectories for decades. Different patterns of early development, many observed, seemed to portend different outcomes.
Researchers can roughly project what autistic children’s lives will look like years down the road. But how good is their crystal ball — and what are its benefits?
A new method to track autism prevalence in 11 U.S. states is twice as fast as the old approach — and yields similar results. The post "Q&A with Matthew Maenner: Estimating autism prevalence quickly" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
In this edition of By the Numbers, we discuss medication shifts in people with autism, outpatient facilities providing autism care and pandemic-induced behavioral changes in autistic children. The post "By the Numbers: Polypharmacy, outpatient autism care, pandemic behaviors" appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News
Sleep problems in young children with autism are associated with behavioral regulation difficulties later in childhood, according to a new longitudinal study. The post Autistic children’s sleep problems linked to behavioral regulation issues appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many of the genes strongly linked to autism are involved in the remodeling of chromatin, the complex of DNA and proteins that makes up chromosomes. Scientists are just beginning to understand why. The post Autism’s link to chromatin remodeling, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Reports of flaws in imaging research are signs of a maturing field, experts say, not a devastating blow to its results. The post "How autism scientists are tackling brain imaging’s replication problem" appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, Huda Zoghbi has won almost every major biology and neuroscience research award that exists. More than 20 years since she discovered the gene behind Rett syndrome, she remains laser focused on unlocking the condition’s secrets and finding effective treatments.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the okay to an app designed to help clinicians diagnose autism in children, but some researchers have concerns about its use. The post Green light for diagnostic autism app raises questions, concerns appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Methods that selectively increase levels of the Rett protein make for safer and more effective treatment strategies, some researchers say. The post Alternative gene-therapy approaches take aim at Rett syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Zemi Yenus was the mother of a child with autism, founder of Ethiopia’s first school for autistic children and a tireless advocate for autism awareness and research in Africa. The post Remembering Zemi Yenus: An ambassador for autism in Africa appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
After a study revised a popular measure for alexithymia, it was pulled for copyright infringement because the authors did not pay a $40 fee or obtain permission to use the measure. The post Copyright claim prompts retraction of study on alexithymia in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
After a year of juggling research, childcare and COVID-19 anxiety, some early-career academics are rethinking their place in autism science. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/pandemic-pressures-may-drive-young-scientists-away-from-autism-research/ Pandemic pressures may drive young scientists away from autism research appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org | Autism Research News
As cannabis prohibition slowly lifts in the United States, scientists and families in the autism community are increasingly turning to the drug and its constituent compounds to ease autism-related difficulties, including seizures and irritability. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/qa-with-eric-hollander-cannabis-treatments-for-autism/ Q&A with Eric Hollander: Cannabis treatments for autism appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
The high levels of serotonin seen in the blood of some autistic people have confounded scientists for more than half a century. Despite so little progress, some researchers refuse to give up. The post After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Federal funding for autism research increased by $23.2 million from 2016 to 2018, according to the latest report from the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The post Autism research funding rises but still falls short of goals appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The recognition of autism independently at different times and across different cultures shows the condition has clear boundaries, despite considerable heterogeneity. The post The first Dutch boy with ‘autism’ — and the nun who cared for him appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis has spent decades uncovering molecular clues to fragile X syndrome and crafting trials of treatments. Her efforts are paying off. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/elizabeth-berry-kravis-running-a-marathon-for-fragile-x-syndrome appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
Next-generation machine-learning tools are poised to upend how scientists study behavior in animal models of autism — and not everyone is happy about it. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/how-artificial-intelligence-is-shaking-up-animal-behavior-studies-in-autism/ appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
Autistic boys and men show notable differences in brain development, according to magnetic resonance imaging scans taken over a 16-year period. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/brain-structures-grow-differently-in-boys-men-with-autism/ appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
Researchers have uncovered more than 1,200 new protein-protein interactions involving proteins coded for by autism-linked genes. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-linked-protein-screen-reveals-hundreds-of-new-interactions appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org">Spectrum | Autism Research News
Children with autism traits tend to show agitation, excitability, decreased sleep and other mild signs of mania in adolescence; the association is higher in identical twins than fraternal twins, suggesting that genetics plays a role. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/childhood-autism-traits-linked-to-hypomania-in-adolescence Childhood autism traits linked to hypomania in adolescence appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org Spectrum | Autism Research News
Multiple types of bias and an over reliance on caregiver reports have clouded research on the effectiveness of early interventions for autism for nearly three decades The post "https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/methodological-issues-plague-studies-of-early-autism-interventions/ Methodological issues plague studies of early autism interventions appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org | Autism Research News
The largest-yet study of genetic data from autistic people has identified 255 genes associated with the condition. The post Largest autism genetics analysis to date uncovers more high-confidence candidates appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People who experience an autism-specific form of anxiety also tend to have an unusually small amygdala, a brain region associated with emotion processing and fear, according to a new unpublished study. The post Anxiety specific to autism linked to amygdala differences appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The investigational drug arbaclofen may right an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the animals’ brains. The post GABA agonist rescues auditory hypersensitivity in rats missing autism-linked gene CNTNAP2 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A drug that prevents an enzyme from breaking down a key molecule involved in learning and memory improved cognition and behavior in a small study of men with fragile X syndrome. The post https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/drug-boosts-cognition-in-men-with-fragile-x-syndrome Drug boosts cognition in men with fragile X syndrome appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org">Spectrum | Autism Research News
Anyone who uses multiple animals from a small number of litters to increase sample size is making a serious mistake. The similarities within individual litters will heavily skew the results. The post Few autism researchers control for the ‘litter effect’ — this needs to change appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Deleting the autism-linked gene CHD8 from specific cells in the cerebellum, a brain region important for movement, leads to motor deficits but does not alter social behaviors in mice. The post Loss of CHD8 from cerebellum disrupts movements, not social behaviors appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A mobile phone app that tracks a toddler's gaze as she watches short videos can distinguish between children who later receive an autism diagnosis and those who do not according to a new study. The post Gaze-tracking app predicts autism diagnosis in toddlers appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The coronavirus pandemic forced researchers and clinicians to find new ways to assess children for autism — many of which will almost certainly endure. The post Virtual autism assessments are likely here to stay appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Applied behavior analysis is the most widely used therapy for autistic children in the United States, but some regions lack the staff needed to provide it. The post Many U.S. counties lack autism therapists appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Fruit flies with low expression of a gene linked to neurodevelopment have disrupted sleep, poor memory and altered social behavior. The post Poor sleep could be core feature of autism, related conditions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Too little — or too much — of certain substances during pregnancy may increase the odds of having a child with autism. Here we explain what scientists know about these associations. The post The link between vitamins, supplements and autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new protocol aims to help researchers include more autistic people — especially those who are minimally verbal or have intellectual disability — in imaging studies. The post Making neuroimaging accessible for more autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many autistic children show continuous improvement in trait severity until they are school-age, at which point progress often levels off. The post Age 6 may represent key turning point in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
About 1.8 percent of schoolchildren in England are autistic, and the prevalence is highest among Black children, at about 2.1 percent. The post Massive U.K. study finds racial and ethnic disparities in autism diagnoses appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new atlas profiles gene activity early on during development in the human fetal brain. The post Atlas maps distinct cell types during earliest stages of brain development appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genes influence how autistic people react to sights, sounds and other sensory cues, whereas environmental factors shape their tendency to notice and seek out such stimuli, a new study in twins suggests. The post Genes drive autistic people’s reactivity to environmental cues appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Training community members to help families access care increases the likelihood that children from low-income and minority groups will obtain diagnostic evaluations. The post Family navigation helps reduce disparities in autism diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
There is not yet a single example of a gene that, when mutated, increases the likelihood of autism but not of other neurodevelopmental conditions, including intellectual disability. The post There are no autism-specific genes, just brain genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Motor and memory training early in life postpones the onset of difficulties in those areas in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, and stimulating neurons involved in those skills appears to mimic the effects of training. The post Early training forestalls motor, memory difficulties in mouse model of Rett syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A growing body of evidence shows that brain cells called oligodendrocytes may play a larger role in autism than previously thought. The post How oligodendrocytes may shape autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions are more common among children born by C-section than those delivered vaginally, but the procedure itself does not underlie the association, according to a new study. The post Cesarean delivery unlikely to sway child’s likelihood of autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An online tool could help researchers limit the number of animals needed to power their studies. The post New statistical method may spare lab animals appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
To guard against hype, scientists studying oxytocin’s role in autism and its potential as a treatment need to embrace robust theories, rigorous delivery methods and reproducible research practices. The post How to improve oxytocin research for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
3D cultures of human brain cells kept alive for more than a year undergo transitions in gene activity that resemble those seen in newborns, and may be used to study autism genes in postnatal stages of brain development. The post Year-old organoids echo genetic shifts seen at birth appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with fragile X syndrome in Colombia are diagnosed at age 27, on average, according to the first study to assess diagnosis in the country. By comparison, the average age of fragile X diagnosis in the United States is younger than 4. The post Colombia lags behind in fragile X syndrome testing, diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Cara Westmark has spent the past year building the case that a drug designed for fragile X syndrome might help coronavirus patients, too. The post Fragile X researcher takes on COVID-19 appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org | Autism Research News
Spectrum spoke with three Black scientists about why they got into autism research, what keeps them excited about their work and how the field could become more diverse. The post Black autism researchers weigh in on field’s past, future appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Researchers have created the most complete macaque reference genome to date and used it to catalog genetic variation among hundreds of monkeys. The post New macaque reference genome fills sequence gaps appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Misaligned gene expression maps suggest that some autism-linked genes play distinct roles in mouse and human brains. The post Differing gene functions across species may pose problems for autism models appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Blood levels of PTEN protein and associated molecules could eventually help diagnose autism and other neurological conditions — and predict their outcomes. The post Proteins linked to top autism gene might aid early diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mice with a mutation in their mitochondrial DNA show altered brain activity, repetitive behaviors and reduced sociability, according to a new study. The post Changes to mitochondrial DNA spur autism-like traits in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Muffling expression of an autism-linked gene in a key song-related area of the brain renders young zebra finches unable to learn songs from older birds. The post Autism gene interference silences song memory in birds appeared first on www.spectrumnews.org | Autism Research News
To listen to the bird calls, please visit: https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-gene-interference-silences-song-memory-in-birds/
The barriers to an autism diagnosis are especially challenging for women and girls. A big part of the problem is still the perception of autism as a ‘male’ condition. The post Autism in girls: Jumping hurdles on the path to diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mutations in any of 10 autism-linked genes in frogs lead to the same overabundance of brain cells that develop into neurons; the sex hormone estrogen lowers this excess. The post Mutations in frogs point to autism genes’ shared role in neurogenesis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A glowing protein tracks serotonin levels and location in the brains of living mice and could yield clues to the neurotransmitter’s role in autism. The post Sensor helps scientists spy on serotonin activity in mice in real time appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Aripiprazole, an antipsychotic medication marketed as Abilify, eases aggressive behavior in autistic children, but questions remain about its side effects. The post Spectrum reporting prompts new review of common drug appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with mutations in distant chromosomal regions often share a range of autism traits, even if they do not meet the diagnostic threshold for autism. The post Copy number variations linked to autism have diverse but overlapping effects appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genetic variants that contribute to autism may also be involved in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette syndrome, according to a new study. The post Common variants link autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
In January 2019, Dorota Chapko interviewed for a job as a postdoctoral researcher at Heart n Soul at The Hub at Wellcome Collection in London, a research arm of an arts collective for people with autism or intellectual disability. The data scientist — she has a Ph.D. in public health — would be analyzing data for a project alongside adults with these conditions.
In 2017, Reid Caplan was working as a program coordinator at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network when their supervisor, executive director Julia Bascom, made an introduction that would catapult Caplan, who is autistic and transgender, into a second career. (Caplan uses a genderneutral pronoun.)
In 2009, several years after Valerie Paradiz had been diagnosed with autism, she attended a meeting hosted by a drug company developing a medical test for autistic people that involved a cheek swab. Company officials wanted to know how they could make the process more comfortable for people with autism.
Back in 1995, in an empty classroom at the University of Tokyo in Japan, undergraduate student Shin-ichiro Kumagaya started a Japanese sign language group after learning that the university did not offer a course. He is not deaf, but he has cerebral palsy, and his work on human rights for people with disabilities prompted him to want to learn to sign.
In 2005, Nicolaidis joined a local parent listserv called the Portland Aspergers Network. Her 2-year-old son had been diagnosed with autism in April 2004, and she turned to the forum for help and community.
Five collaborations involving autistic scientists and experts are advancing autism research, from lending support for theories of the condition to shoring up trials of new treatments.
Mutations seen in only some of the body's cells often affect gene activity in the brains of people with autism, and can involve large segments of DNA, according to two new studies. The post Two studies highlight role of ‘mosaic’ mutations in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Cells with excess UBE3A, an autism-linked protein, have atypical firing properties that can be corrected by limiting the protein's levels, according to new research. The post Autism protein may shape neuronal firing patterns appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
During conversations, girls with autism use "we," "they" and other plural personal pronouns differently than autistic boys do. The post Autistic girls, boys differ in how they talk about social groups appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new technique for masking portions of raw genomic data increases shareability without sacrificing privacy. The post ‘Sanitizing’ functional genomics data may prevent privacy breaches appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic people’s skill at managing the demands of daily life decline after they leave high school, according to a new study. But those who maintain more abilities are more likely to pursue further education than those who don’t. The post Daily living skills influence autistic adults’ education, employment options appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
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. The post Hot topics in autism research, 2020 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Spectrum's staff couldn't report on the ground this year — with no lab visits, sit-down interviews or in-person conferences to attend — but we observed a lot of changes from our computer screens. The post Inside the reporter’s notebook: Dispatches from 2020 appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genetic sequences from nearly 53,000 people with autism, developmental delay or intellectual disability reveal strong ties to 98 genes. The post Analysis links 98 genes to neurodevelopmental conditions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Cognitive and behavioral traits are more aligned among autistic people with neighboring mutations than in those with distant mutations in the same gene. The post Neighboring mutations linked to similar autism traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Some social behaviors associated with autism are heritable, but the extent to which genes and the environment influence these behaviors changes as a child grows. The post Genes’ influence on social behaviors shifts with age appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Researchers have devised a new way of seeing how gene mutations affect cells during development. The post Autism genes affect development of neurons and glia appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
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. The post Drug helps mice with autism-linked mutation recognize others appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Researchers expand a massive repository of data on gene activity in people to show differences between males and females. The post Catalog details sex differences in gene expression, regulation appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with anorexia are more likely to be autistic than those without the eating disorder, but the interplay between the two conditions is complex. The post Anorexia’s link to autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many people with mutations in the NCKAP1 gene have autism or autism traits, according to a new study spanning seven countries. The post Rare variants tied to neuronal migration, autism traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Studies of autism treatments rarely report adverse events, and the scientists involved often fail to disclose their conflicts of interest. The post Errors of omission: Why we are deeply concerned about research on autism therapies appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Spectrum is covering the 2020 International SYNGAP1 Scientific Conference, which took place virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. Here we’re highlighting researchers’ reactions to noteworthy presentations. The post Reactions from the 2020 SYNGAP1 Scientific Conference appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns. The post Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
To try to prevent insensitivity, the U.K.’s National Autistic Society has worked with government officials to create autism accreditation standards for prisons. The first U.K. prison received accreditation in 2016. There are no such standards in the U.S. so far.
Prison systems in the U.S., the United Kingdom and other countries do little to ease the distress and violence these problems create — and they often make matters worse.
Beasley was arrested on October 3rd, 2012 while coming home from the grocery store with two boxes of Nutty Buddy snack bars and two bags of pierogies. A police car followed him back to his mother’s house; as soon as he opened the door, he felt a hand on his wrist, he says. He did not deny the offense: 26,492 photographs of child pornography on his computer.
Andrew Beasley was quickly losing his cool. It was October 2015, and he was about two years into his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey.
A gene-editing treatment shows long-lasting effects in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition related to autism. The post Prenatal CRISPR therapy blocks Angelman syndrome traits in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A tool that relies on video cameras and machine learning can identify mice that have mutations in a top autism gene by their behaviors. It also detects how a widely used autism drug affects their movements. The post ‘MoSeq’ identifies drug-specific behaviors in autism mouse model appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
In the early days of ABA, researchers in the field never dreamed that outside companies would take it over and overhaul it in ways that would harm its reputation.
Questions about qualifications have long been an issue for the field. In the 1970s, experts realized they needed uniform standards and a way to certify that therapists are qualified, says Gina Green, chief executive officer of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts in San Diego, California.
The roots of ABA date back to the 1930s and the work of psychologist B.F. Skinner, who focused on concepts such as conditioning, reinforcement and responses to stimuli to explain human behavior.
When Terra Vance took a course to become a registered behavior technician in 2015, she was trying to transition from a career as a teacher to one as a psychologist.
The first genetic analysis of multiple types of variants from people with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions reveals hundreds of genes that may be linked to neurodevelopment. The post Analysis combining variants, conditions uncovers hundreds of neurodevelopmental genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
People with particularly low levels of FMRP, the protein lacking in those with fragile X syndrome, are more likely to also have autism and severe intellectual disability. The post Autism, intellectual disability linked to levels of fragile X protein appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An analysis of four molecular datasets shows a distinct signature, including changes in gene expression and chemical DNA modifications, in some autism brains. The post Integrating molecular data may reveal subgroups of autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Most of the large, spontaneous genetic mutations tied to autism are passed down from fathers. But, unlike with smaller mutations, the parent's age is unlikely to up the rate at which they occur. The post Parental age plays small role in large mutations tied to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Genome sequences from a research cohort of autistic African children and their families have revealed more than 4 million novel variants, some of which occur in genes not previously linked to the condition. The post First analysis of African autism cohort reveals millions of new variants appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Though Angelman families dream of cures, any treatment that enables their children to communicate or gives them a measure of independence would be welcomed.
By the time Berent created her road map, another mother, Monica Coenraads, was already 16 years deep into a comparable attempt to cure Rett syndrome.
Berent was uniquely qualified — and determined — to bridge the gap from animals to people for Angelman.
Unlike most causes of autism, syndromes such as Angelman, Rett and fragile X have a clear therapeutic target — at least in theory. They can all be traced to one dysfunctional gene and either too much or too little of the protein it encodes.
A gene therapy for Angelman syndrome stands at the forefront of efforts to treat autism-linked conditions that stem from single genes.
Autistic people have distinct patterns of brain development, which sometimes result in differences in brain structure. Here's what we know about those differences. The post Brain structure changes in autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Being bullied puts adolescents with autism at increased risk of suicide. Identifying and preventing bullying may help prevent suicides. The post Why it is imperative to ask autistic adolescents about bullying appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new telehealth test offers researchers a way to detect signs of atypical behavior from afar and could help more families participate in autism studies and clinical trials. The post Virtual lab visits enable remote assessments of child development appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The more children with autism tune in to and communicate with others as toddlers, the stronger their conversation skills are later in childhood. Social motivation predicts language skills in autistic children appeared first on https://www.spectrumnews.org| Autism Research News
Atypical development of a particular type of neuron explains the structural similarities seen in the brains of people with autism, schizophrenia and other conditions, according to a new study. The post Autism shares brain structure changes with other psychiatric conditions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Extremely preterm babies later diagnosed with autism tend to show steep declines in development, a pattern that could flag them for intervention as early as 6 months of age. The post Increasing delays in development may signal autism in preterm babies appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new treatment curbs deadly seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. The post Silencing ‘poison exon’ eliminates deadly seizures in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Looking for signs of autism in characters from history and literature can offer insight into society’s changing perceptions through time — but it can also increase the risk of stigma against people with the condition. The post The perils of suggesting famous historical figures had autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Gender and sexuality appear to be more varied among autistic people than among neurotypical people. What do scientists know about the connection? The post Gender and sexuality in autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic people and their families are increasingly experimenting with marijuana to try to ease problems such as insomnia, epilepsy and chronic pain — and traits of autism. But there is little evidence for its safety or effectiveness. The post Cannabis and autism, explained appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Interviews with autistic people reveal that many miss their friends and opportunities for social connection, in stark contrast to orthodox views that they have little social motivation and prefer a life of self-isolation. The post We need better strategies to support autistic people as the COVID-19 crisis continues appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Contrary to previous results, the blood pressure drug did not uniformly improve autism traits in a new clinical trial. The post Bumetanide may benefit only a subset of autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mice missing the autism gene NLGN3 have altered social behaviors and brain responses to the hormone oxytocin, both of which improve after treatment with a drug that helps regulate protein production. The post Drug improves social behaviors, oxytocin signaling in autism mouse model appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Conversations between an autistic and a typical person involve less smiling and more mismatched facial expressions than do interactions between two typical people. The post Facial expressions between autistic and typical people may be mismatched appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mutations in the MECP2 gene, which are associated with autism and Rett syndrome, interfere with a cell's ability to form droplets of DNA that silence gene expression. The post DNA droplets may be key to Rett syndrome, researchers say appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The Netflix series that follows 20-something autistic adults looking for love is well intentioned but fails to capture reality and is riddled with bad advice. The post Review: ‘Love on the Spectrum’ is kind, but unrepresentative appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Women who use marijuana while pregnant may be more likely to give birth to an autistic child. But investigators call for a cautious interpretation of the results. The post Researchers urge caution over study linking marijuana to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A growing number of studies are revealing circuits that may underlie social challenges in autism — and how to fine-tune them. The post Inside scientists’ quest to map, modulate social circuits in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A pair of tools that gauge social abilities in rhesus macaques may help researchers study autism-like behaviors in monkeys. The post New measures of social skills tap what monkeys see, do appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Repeating bits of the genome may be responsible for nearly 3 percent of the genetic architecture of autism. The post Probe of DNA ‘repeats’ reveals new potential autism genes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Shared sketch books chart a father-daughter relationship over time and provide a valuable outlet for self-regulating emotions. The post On the same page: Divorce, drawing, and parenting an autistic child appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A common autism screening tool misses more than 70 percent of autistic toddlers but flags more than 80 percent of non-autistic toddlers who have intellectual disability. The post Popular screen may mistake intellectual disability for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Nearly all genes with moderate to strong ties to autism are expressed in the developing amygdala; a few show altered expression in the amygdalae of autistic people. The post Autism genes may play key role in development of amygdala appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Intellectually or developmentally disabled group-home residents are dying from COVID-19 at twice the rate of all New Yorkers with the virus. The post COVID-19 may be deadlier for group-home residents appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Some autistic children require so much attention that their siblings get lost in the shuffle. “Their needs may be overlooked, or have to come a bit second,” Leedham says. In a study published earlier this year, for example, one girl complained that her parents downplayed her learning issues because they were minor compared with her brother’s challenges. As a result, she was not diagnosed with dyslexia until she was 12.
The sibling relationship is among the longest and most formative of a person’s life. Children learn with their siblings how to play, argue, share and negotiate. Research suggests that close sibling relationships are associated with better mental health later in life.
Having an autistic brother or sister can pose challenges, but it can also make children patient, empathetic and resilient.
The autism gene SHANK3 is crucial for the development and function of muscles and the motor neurons that control them. The post Some motor problems in autism may arise from cells outside brain appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The amygdala has long been a focus of autism research. But its exact role in the condition has been unclear. The post Amygdala, the brain’s threat detector, has broad roles in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Doctors and scientists should consider sleep problems an integral part of autism and begin to study them in more rigorous ways. The post Losing sleep: How researchers miss a key contributor to autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
With pandemic restrictions lifting, many researchers are cautiously returning to work. The post Researchers grapple with anxiety, new policies as universities reopen appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autistic people tend to have trouble shifting their gaze to take in all the details of a scene. The post Eye ‘jumps’ in autistic people may be especially fleeting appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Autism prevalence differs between Latino and white children in part due to structural inequalities within the U.S. education and healthcare systems. Social workers are in a prime position to help. The post Social workers are poised to help Latino children get autism evaluations appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Dampening overactive brain circuits alleviates social and memory problems in a mouse model of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. The post Fine-tuning brain activity reverses memory problems in mice with autism mutation appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Most toddlers who screen positive for autism do not receive the recommended referrals for follow-up tests or therapies. The post Positive autism screening results rarely prompt follow-up appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Nearly half of autistic children may show substantial changes in the severity of their autism traits from ages 3 to 6, according to a new study. The post Autism traits in children more variable than previously thought appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Mutations in both copies of a gene called ACTL6B lead to autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability. The post Study links gene to inherited form of autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Children with autism are more likely than typical children to have had problems falling asleep as infants, and to have shown brain overgrowth. The post Autism linked to sleep problems and brain changes in infancy appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Children with autism have trouble learning that faces convey information, which may explain their tendency to miss social cues. The post Altered learning may drive social inattention in autistic children appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
One in five autistic people may have synesthesia, a crossing of the senses. Studying synesthesia in autism may deepen our understanding of both conditions. The post People with autism may smell songs or hear colors appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Brothers and sisters of people with autism are both about two to three times more likely than the general population to have an autistic child themselves. The post Decade of data dents idea of a ‘female protective effect’ appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
An infusion of umbilical cord blood does not improve social skills in autistic children, according to results from the largest, most rigorous test of the therapy for autism to date. The post Study finds little evidence to back cord-blood therapy for autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Three widely used tests for assessing autism can accurately measure trait severity in girls and boys. The post Autism tests gauge traits equally well in girls and boys appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
All of these strategies call for considerable effort. Exhaustion was a near-universal response in the 2017 British survey: The adults interviewed described feeling utterly drained — mentally, physically and emotionally.
Before scientists can create better screening tools, they need to characterize camouflaging more precisely. A study last year established a working definition for the purpose of research: Camouflaging is the difference between how people seem in social contexts and what’s happening to them on the inside.
Because so many more boys are diagnosed with autism than girls are, clinicians don’t always think of autism when they see girls who are quiet or appear to be struggling socially.
Many girls hide their autism, sometimes evading diagnosis well into adulthood. These efforts can help women on the spectrum socially and professionally, but they can also do serious harm.
Organizers of the International Society for Autism Research's annual meeting will host digital offerings on 3 June. The post Amidst the pandemic, autism’s largest conference moves online appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
The overproduction of proteins in brain cells called microglia causes social impairments, cognitive deficits and repetitive behavior in male mice, a new study has found. The post Extra proteins alter microglia and behavior in mice appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Correcting an autism gene mutation in fetal mice lessens some autism-like behaviors after birth. The post Reversing SHANK3 mutations in mice mitigates autism-like traits appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
A new study highlights the challenge of distinguishing genetic variants linked to autism from those associated with cognitive development. The post Rare mutations in autism genes tied to intellectual disability appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Living in close quarters, with rotating staff and sometimes inadequate protective equipment, group-home residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The post Coronavirus threatens autistic people living in group homes appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Robert Schultz hopes to use technology to change how autism is studied, diagnosed and treated. The post Diagnosing autism with a camera and an algorithm appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Infants with low levels of the hormone vasopressin in their cerebrospinal fluid may be more likely to later be diagnosed with autism. The post Hormone level in infants may predict autism diagnosis appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Many genes in a brain region implicated in autism change expression patterns in late fetal development, depending on differences in neighboring DNA. The post DNA differences may shape gene expression in the brain before birth appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
With life-saving gear in short supply during the pandemic, health authorities must ensure that disabled people are not pushed to the back of the line. The post Autistic people must not be denied access to ventilators appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
Cut off from clients by the coronavirus pandemic, clinicians are turning to video conferencing and other technologies to diagnose children with autism.
Some clinicians say remote diagnoses are not as reliable as in-person diagnoses, but others argue that such services provide a valuable substitute until they can see children in person again.
Pupil response suggests autistic people have atypical activity in a part of the brain that regulates attention. The post Autistic people may have trouble tuning out distractions appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News.
On 17 March, France went on lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, joining many other countries in Europe.
French authorities ordered residents to stay at home and closed schools, as well as institutions that provide care and support for autistic children and adults. The lockdown included our institution, the Center of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (InovAND), in Paris.
Some people with autism have an unusually large head: This fact has been known since autism was first described in the 1940s. But debate about this finding has raged ever since. How many people with autism have a large head? What causes the enlargement? And does it have any bearing on outcome?
Several regions in the outer layer of the brain are thicker in children and young adults with autism than in their typical peers, a new study finds.
Areas of the brain involved in processing vision are more weakly connected to those that process sensory information in autistic children than in controls, according to a new study.
The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered schools, transformed hospitals and radically altered daily life. These changes are stressful for everyone but may pose unique challenges for autistic people — many of whom are being cut off from day programs, school services and in-person medical appointments.
Individuals with mutations in a gene called TRIO may have a range of conditions, including varying degrees of intellectual disability and anomalous head size, a new study has found. The expression of those traits depends on where in the gene the mutation lies.
Autism prevalence in the United States continues to rise, according to a new study of 8-year-old children in 11 states. Boys are 4.3 times as likely as girls are to have autism, a ratio that is consistent with previous estimates.
As the coronavirus pandemic disrupts the work of researchers around the world, academic journals are adjusting their expectations for what and how they publish.
‘Autistic burnout’ is the intense physical, mental or emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by a loss of skills, that some adults with autism experience. Many autistic people say it results mainly from the cumulative effect of having to navigate a world that is designed for neurotypical people.
COVID-19 has descended. To save lives and mitigate the burden on the U.S. healthcare system, we must shelter in place.
But where does that leave people with disabilities, especially the many who need special services and service providers to survive?
Autistic infants as young as 6 months display subtle signs of the condition, according to a new study. They are less attentive to people’s faces during certain social-interaction tasks.
People with autism may have patterns of brain activity similar to those in typical people when interpreting social interactions, according to the largest study of its kind.
They also perform as well as typical people do on a test of intuiting others’ mental states, the study found.
The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered universities and institutes, leaving scientists scrambling to continue their research.
Hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States have dispatched students home and are aiming to transition to remote learning. Scientific organizations are canceling conferences or moving them online. And scientists have had to put research projects and clinical trials on hold.
Over the past decade, biologists have increasingly been posting their research results on preprint servers, ahead of the results’ publication in traditional scientific journals. Preprints are part of a broader ‘open access’ movement in science publishing that aims to expand free access to findings and speed up research.
Most research journals, including Cell, JAMA and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have unclear policies regarding preprints and peer review, a new analysis finds.
Girls are diagnosed with autism 1.5 years later, on average, than boys, according to an analysis of 1,000 people living in Rhode Island and nearby states1. The delayed diagnosis may be due to the fact that autistic girls tend to have stronger verbal abilities than autistic boys do.
I am a student and researcher studying evolutionary genetics, and I am autistic. I often come across papers on autism research, but unfortunately, reading them is rarely a positive experience.
Black children with autism who are hospitalized for psychiatric problems are more impaired than their white peers, according to a new study. Socioeconomic factors may explain this difference, experts say.
Previous research has shown that autistic black children are more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric crises than are their white peers.
Melatonin is safe for long-term use in autistic children who have difficulty sleeping, according to a new study.
The study tracked the sleep hormone’s effects in autistic children over a two-year period. Melatonin has previously been suggested as a sleep aid for children on the spectrum, but the new study is the first to systematically assess its long-term safety.
Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors are hallmarks of autism. They can take many forms: Some autistic people flap their arms or rock back and forth; others ritualistically line up objects or insist on a rigid daily schedule.
Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/repetitive-behaviors-and-stimming-in-autism-explained/
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/analysis-offers-first-reliable-estimate-of-prevalence-in-oman/
Electronic neurons made from silicon mimic brain cells and could be used to treat autism.
Researchers plan to use the technology in conjunction with machine learning to retrain damaged or atypical neurons and restore function in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, autism or other conditions.
People with autism have more brain-related health problems, such as headaches and epilepsy, than typical people do, according to a survey of twins. The study is the first to look at associations between autism and physical health problems among twins.
Some men who have an autistic child carry mutations linked to the condition only in their sperm, according to a new study1. In these men, genetic tests of sperm, rather than of blood, may help estimate their chances of passing the mutations to future children.
Autism may stem from a different — and larger — set of genetic mutations in women than it does in men, according to a new study.
Few of the most popular early treatments for autism are supported by strong evidence, a systematic review suggests; even treatments with relatively strong evidence did not meet the review’s high standards.
The question of autism’s heritability is compelling for researchers and laypeople alike, but many people in both groups misunderstand its definition.
Spectrum published hundreds of articles this year on a range of topics, from characterization of candidate genes to immune-system connections.
Pediatricians should start treating children who show signs of autism even before tests confirm a diagnosis, according to the newest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
A new study shows the severity of autism in young children predicts how quickly they learn and perform basic tasks of daily living — dressing, grooming, etc. The work also shows that their skills improve over their preschool years, in line with previous work.
Extra copies of a gene called BOLA2 distinguish humans from their closest ancestors. Repeats of the gene make a chromosomal segment linked to autism more prone to mutation. They may also confer an advantage: protection against anemia.
Autistic people have long maintained that repetitive behaviors are beneficial. Emerging evidence in support of this idea is shaping new therapies.
A mix of two drugs nixes noise hypersensitivity in an autism mouse model, according to new research. The findings offer the promise of a similar treatment for autistic people.
A new study suggests adults with autism are more than twice as likely as neurotypical people to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
The lack of people with intellectual disability in studies of autism has a profound effect on our understanding of the condition.
Clinicians need a more consistent and evidence-based approach to prescribing antipsychotics to children and adolescents with autism.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Researchers still find the idea of autistic women as sexual beings hard to accept, and still perpetuate misunderstandings about when, how and why they have sex.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
The notion that people with autism generally lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings is wrong.
Advice for researchers about how to report their findings in a journal or talking to the media.
Leo Kanner’s observations of parents gave him deep sympathy for them, and led to his fundamental insights about their behavior that fueled important advances in the genetics of autism.
Separating sensitivity to sensory stimuli from the response to the stimuli may help scientists understand the root cause of sensory traits in autistic people.
Sleep is critical for children’s development and for proper maintenance of their brains. A majority of autistic children suffer from sleep disturbances, which may disrupt these crucial processes.
Being anemic while pregnant may increase a woman’s chance of having a child with intellectual disability, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
People tend to believe that, regardless of the treatment, more is always better when it comes to treating autism. But is it?
The ‘extreme male brain’ theory suggests that autism is an exaggeration of systematic sex differences in ways of thinking.
Most community clinicians do not deliver care that is in line with the latest evidence — and they are not improving over time.
Repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping and spinning may give autistic people a sense of control; instead of discouraging these behaviors, therapists should address triggers upsetting to autistic people.
From an app to diagnose autism to a crowdsourced project to map its prevalence, Dennis Wall is brimming with ambitious ideas. But his execution of these ideas leaves something to be desired, his critics say.
Genes associated with autism are ancient, and mutations in them have wide-ranging effects on the body, indicating their importance.
In autism, a person's brain may not form accurate predictions of imminent experiences, or even if it does, sensory input may override those predictions.
Alysson Muotri aims to build a 'thinking' brain as a model for autism — even if his colleagues consider that work controversial.
Many young autistic people with signs of emerging psychosis go without appropriate care.
A drug that mimics the hormone vasopressin improves social skills in autistic people - but so does one that blocks vasopressin's effects. How can seemingly opposing manipulations produce similar results?
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Although many children with autism want to engage with peers, their emotional difficulties often get in the way of their relationships.
Communication problems have always been considered a core feature of autism. Yet there are substantial and wide-ranging differences in how people with autism communicate.
Adults with autism are nearly 50 percent more likely to die in the hospital than their typical peers.
The idea that one residential model is appropriate for the entire spectrum of intellectual and developmental disability is patently absurd.
Young autistic children may fall into three groups based on the number and type of co-occurring conditions they have.
Academics in disciplines such as law, history and the arts have the potential to make extensive contributions to the lives of people with autism.
Older men and women are more likely than young ones to have a child with autism, but this connection is not straightforward.
Experts from various fields should work with parents to develop a standardized questionnaire for gut problems in people with autism.
The timing of treatment is crucial for conditions related to autism — and more so for some conditions than for others.
One of the leading theories of autism posits that girls and women are biologically protected from the condition.
The instruments clinicians use to diagnose depression in people with autism cannot capture its unique presentation in this group.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
In a new program, teachers recruit typical students to help children with autism play during recess.
Researchers need funds to investigate why autistic women take their own lives — and how to stop them.
How to best use a large volume of data to discover new genetic risk factors for autism is a matter of intense debate, particularly in light of historical challenges.
A brain system called declarative memory may help people learn scripts and strategies that alleviate autism symptoms
Anorexia sometimes accompanies autism in girls. Refusing food may mute the confusing array of stimuli that is particularly difficult for a girl with autism to handle.
Sex education in schools needs to be adapted for teens on the spectrum so they can approach relationships in a way that is safe, confident and healthy.
Sex education in schools needs to be adapted for teens on the spectrum so they can approach relationships in a way that is safe, confident and healthy.
The popularity of mobile devices offers families the promise of communication with their autistic child, but success is more than a click away.
Giving the autism community a voice in research means engaging in meaningful dialogue, not just making token gestures.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Women with autism value friendships as much as their neurotypical peers do, but they often have difficulty forming and maintaining them.
Place your autism center in the community you serve, remove barriers to care, cast a wide net for autism signs, and do as much as possible in the first visit: These principles can help build a lifelong relationship with the community.
The best way to deliver surprises from genetic findings is to provide adequate information and counseling alongside the results.
Understanding the interactions between the placenta and the uterine lining could explain how maternal immune activation leads to autism.
Some restricted and repetitive behaviors may have hidden benefits for people with autism, so scientists should work to find a happy medium between acceptance and change.
It's past time for mainstream discussions of women with autism to recognize that a significant portion of the autistic community identifies as gender-queer or non-binary.
Understanding autism features in children who were deprived of social contact as infants could offer clues to the condition.
Many adolescents with autism experience catatonia, a quantifiable decline in motor ability.
Our concept of autism has evolved over the past 20 years, rendering redundant the diagnostic labels of Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Individuals with autism have trouble reading social cues because their brains connect sights and sounds over unusually long periods of time.
The United States is failing most of its half million school-age children with autism by not giving them a good education.
Autism researchers and funding agencies should turn their attention to sleep in autism — and its many connections to health, mood and behavior.
The United States is failing most of its half million school-age children with autism by not giving them a good education.
The strict definition of autism in the latest version of the diagnostic manual is antithetical to the idea that autism comes in a wide variety of forms.
For students and early-career investigators, opportunities to meet and talk with the people they are trying to help underscores why the work matters.
As children with autism grow into adults, the challenge is in measuring the skills that matter most in their daily lives.
Clinicians need to be able to distinguish autism from post-traumatic stress disorder so they can provide the right support.
Getting an autism diagnosis can be difficult for many adults, due to the dearth of reliable tests, high costs and bureaucracy.
Science teaches us that housing children in institution-like settings is likely to cause severe and permanent damage to their minds and bodies.
Measures of adaptive functioning may better assess the ability of autistic people to meet daily demands than do intelligence tests.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Autism results from an interplay between genetics and the environment, but it has been tough to nail down the environmental factors involved.
Researchers need to consider new ways of capturing how autism manifests in girls, who may find clever ways of camouflaging their symptoms.
Your latest update from Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.
Children with autism who have sleep problems are often distracted, hyperactive, irritable and aggressive.
Every state in the country should require that all children be vaccinated before attending school.
Scientists should regularly relate their work to a broad audience, and universities should support these efforts.
Sex education in schools needs to be adapted for teens on the spectrum so they can approach relationships in a way that is safe, confident and healthy.