Audio research news

This paper changed my life: 'Spontaneous cortical activity reveals hallmarks of an optimal internal model of the environment,' from the Fiser Lab

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Fiser’s work taught me how to think about grounding computational models in biologically plausible implementations.

The S-index Challenge: Develop a metric to quantify data-sharing success

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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 scientific fraud. An investigation. A lab in recovery.

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Science is built on trust. What happens when someone destroys it?

Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Reconstructing dopamine's link to reward

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The field is grappling with whether to modify the long-standing theory of reward prediction error—or abandon it entirely.

In updated U.S. autism bill, Congress calls for funding boost, expanded scope

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The current Autism CARES Act sunsets in late September.

From reductionism to dynamical systems: How two books influenced my thinking across 30 years of neuroscience

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0400

Nicole Rust describes her career-changing literary journey of joy, free will and the evolution of a field.

Neuroscience needs a career path for software engineers

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0400

Few institutions have mechanisms for the type of long-term positions that would best benefit the science.

Nonsense correlations and how to avoid them

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0400

This statistical error is common in systems neuroscience. Fortunately, straightforward methods can help you prevent it.

Is it time to worry about brain chimeras?

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0400

Brains made of neurons from two species raise new concerns.

Martin Giurfa's concept of home

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The insect-cognition researcher has done his work across continents, but Argentina is never far from his mind.

Women are systematically under-cited in neuroscience. New tools can change that.

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Future of BRAIN Initiative funding remains unclear

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The French researcher’s accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.

Can an emerging field called 'neural systems understanding' explain the brain?

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Reviving 'inside-out' hypothesis of amyloid beta to explain Alzheimer's mysteries

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0400

New research is resurfacing old ideas about where the protein forms the disease’s hallmark plaques.

At the credit crossroads: Modern neuroscience needs a cultural shift to adopt new authorship practices

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Should we use the computational or the network approach to analyze functional brain-imaging data-why not both?

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

How to explore your scientific values and develop a vision for your field

Mon, 27 May 2024 04:00:00 -0400

As a new professor, I was caught off guard by one part of the job: my role as an evaluator.

Carol Jennings, whose family's genetics informed amyloid cascade hypothesis, dies at 70

Mon, 20 May 2024 04:00:00 -0400

Her advocacy work aided the discovery of a rare inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and helped connect affected people with researchers.

How to use race and ethnicity data responsibly in neuroscience research

Thu, 16 May 2024 04:00:00 -0400

Follow these four tips to avoid using the information in problematic ways, including as a proxy for environmental variables.

New look at lampreys rewrites textbooks on origins of sympathetic nervous system

Mon, 06 May 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

NIH seeks input on how structural racism affects brain research, health

Mon, 13 May 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The feedback could lead to “novel ways” to conduct studies and reduce health disparities, a National Institutes of Health employee says.

FDA describes 'objectionable conditions' at New York State Psychiatric Institute

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism subgroups converge on cell growth pathway

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Breaking down the winner's curse: Lessons from brain-wide association studies

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

We found an issue with a specific type of brain imaging study and tried to share it with the field. Then the backlash began.

Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Knowledge gaps in cephalopod care could stall welfare standards

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Nobel Prize winner Thomas Südhof retracts study

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Newly found hypothalamus circuits shape bullying behaviors in mice

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Maiken Nedergaard's power of disruption

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The award-winning researcher’s discoveries have changed the way we think about the brain; that’s exactly what her critics dislike.

Expanding 'little brain' may have powered dinosaur flight

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0400

The cerebellum swelled in size before flight evolved among modern birds’ dinosaur ancestors, according to a new comparison of fossilized skulls and living birds.

How long-read sequencing will transform neuroscience

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Making cancer nervous

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0500

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.

'Into the wild': Moving studies of memory and learning out of the lab

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Incentivizing data-sharing in neuroscience: How about a little customer service?

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0400

To make data truly reusable, we need to invest in data curators, who help people enter the information into repositories.

Vast diversity of human brain cell types revealed in trove of new datasets

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The collection offers a glimpse into differences in cell composition — across people and brain regions — that may shape neural function.

Journal club: Why do some children lose their autism diagnosis?

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Uncertainty and excitement surround one company's cell therapy for epilepsy

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

After 10 years of work, Neurona may have the data to quiet its skeptics. But its ongoing clinical trial will be the ultimate test.

Mutations in multipurpose gene deal dendrites a double whammy

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The mutations disrupt protein translation as well as the cell’s skeleton, according to a new study.

UBE3A's link to synaptic pruning bolstered by fly study

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Debate unfurls over inclusivity and authenticity in research involving minimally verbal autistic people

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Common genetic variants shape the structure of the cortex

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

A genome-wide association study lays a foundation for deeper investigation of these variants in neurodevelopmental conditions.

Six tips for postdoc success

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Alterations in circuits characterize six neuropsychiatric conditions

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The underlying regional neurobiology of the conditions may differ from person to person.

Tablet-based tool to spot autism validated in two studies

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.

Neuronal deafness to stress may add to protein surplus in fragile X

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

A protective pathway that pauses protein synthesis is muted in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study.

Social skills decline during adolescence for a sliver of autistic youth

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Most children with the condition, however, gain communication and social abilities over time.

Scammers threaten quality of research survey data

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Jammed online surveys and invaded video calls are forcing researchers to rethink their outreach methods.

Father's genes may drive sociability in male monkeys

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The findings in rhesus macaque monkeys may provide clues to sex differences in the heredity of social behavior in people.

Is excess brain fluid an early marker of autism?

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Unwritten rules of tenure

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Co-occurring conditions in autistic teens increase with age

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The most prevalent conditions include obesity, neurological disorders, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Autism in Adulthood gets its first impact factor

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The 4-year-old journal focuses on research that aims to improve the lives of autistic adults.

Exclusive: Shake-up at top psychiatric institute following suicide in clinical trial

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Amy Wetherby: Impatient for progress

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

'Gain-of-function' mutation spawns autism traits

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The mutation increases the activity of an autism-linked protein and leads to social difficulties and other behavioral differences in mice.

Change of heart and mind: Autism's ties to cardiac defects

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Children with congenital heart disease have an increased likelihood of autism. Why?

'A catalyst for change': NIH makes first call for research supporting minimally verbal autistic people

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The request is energizing scientists investigating autistic people who largely don’t communicate with spoken words.

Repurposed electronics lens spies neurons across entire mouse brain

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

When combined with tissue-inflation methods, the microscope can image axons without the need for tissue slicing, the researchers say.

Dispute erupts over role of sticky proteins in astrocytes

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

But multiple independent researchers say they are not convinced by its results, which fail to confirm high-profile findings from 2017.

Partner selection may amplify rare variants in children

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

New gene-editing method flags fragile X mutation for repair

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The approach prompts cultured cells to correct the genetic mutation in fragile X syndrome using their own DNA repair system, but it still needs to be tested further.

Serotonin powers pruning of developing brain circuits in mice

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Mice with microglia missing receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin since birth have too many synapses and show social difficulties in adulthood.

Mitochondria mediate effects of PTEN mutations

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism's ties to the cell skeleton

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.

Donald Triplett, autism's 'Case 1,' dies at 89

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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.

AI model helps decode brain activity underlying conversation

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

A text-predicting chatbot parses text from conversations in a way that parallels brain-activity patterns associated with speech production and comprehension.

Controversial 'cost of autism' paper retracted

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

The journal’s decision comes two years after Spectrum covered backlash from researchers over the study.

Retraction, She Wrote: Dorothy Bishop's life after research

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

A renowned researcher’s eye for detail has given her a second career and a new following.

Capturing autism's sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Next-generation trackers could realize a long-standing research dream: conducting sleep studies in large numbers of autistic people.

Preprint questions validity of postmortem brain studies

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

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

Two scientists, two interventions: A 'gentle rivalry' to aid autistic children

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Minimally verbal autistic preschoolers gained new words and phrases in a head-to-head comparison of two interventions.

Debate remains over changes in DSM-5 a decade on

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Changes to the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for autism were meant to add clarity, but they also generated new questions.

Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0400

A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.

Antihistamine aids myelination in Pitt-Hopkins mice

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The drug clemastine and other compounds that fortify the protective sheath around neurons may prove therapeutic for some genetic neurodevelopmental conditions.

'Polygenic risk scores' for autism, explained

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Neuroscience journal retracts 13 papers at once

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The papers were flagged by a method that has now been called into question.

Genetic background sways effects of autism-linked mutation

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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

Null and Noteworthy: Arbaclofen results; another oxytocin edition

Wed, 31 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Dataset maps connectivity in 40,000 brains

Fri, 26 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The new resource aims to aid reproducibility in imaging research.

Grafted organoids reveal how microglia adapt to shifting brain environments

Wed, 24 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The chimeric mouse model could provide a more realistic way to study microglia’s roles in brain conditions such as autism.

Flawed protocol for levodopa clinical trial brings retractions

Mon, 22 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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

Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results

Fri, 19 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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

Spectrum Launch: Demystifying academia with Laurel Gabard-Durnam

Mon, 15 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The Northeastern University psychology professor’s website offers a wealth of resources about how to navigate an academic career.

Medley of models reveals misbehaving pathways in autism-linked condition

Wed, 17 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The largest analysis of human samples to date, plus work in mice and zebrafish, detail the gene KMT5B’s role in brain development.

What kind of autism research should we do, and where should we do it?

Fri, 12 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Researchers at INSAR 2023 need to discuss these questions and remember that the purpose of research may be different for different communities.

Loss of autism-linked gene dampens social interactions in animals

Wed, 10 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Mice and zebrafish missing the GIGYF1 gene show social traits reminiscent of autism, though the molecular underpinnings are unclear.

Acetaminophen on trial over possible links to autism, ADHD

Mon, 08 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Company on brink takes psilocybin to trial for fragile X syndrome

Fri, 05 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The phase 2A trial has its detractors despite positive animal results and is being sponsored by a company that is struggling financially.

U.S. study charts changing prevalence of profound and non-profound autism

Wed, 03 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Profound autism prevalence rose from 2002 to 2016, though not nearly as much as non-profound autism did.

A questionable study linked epidurals to autism. Then what?

Mon, 01 May 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Researchers and clinicians were quick to point out the flaws in the study, and a flood of work refuted it.

Null and Noteworthy: Reader response; cerebrospinal fluid; connectivity subgroups

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, researchers upend early interventions and diagnostic boundaries.

New measure characterizes gender diversity in study participants

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The Gender Self-Report could help autism researchers include more gender-diverse people across a range of ages and neurotypes in their work.

Journal club: Does lithium in drinking water contribute to autism?

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Rare autism-linked mutation starves growing neurons of essential nutrients

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The mutation prevents certain amino acids from entering neurons, causing the cells to die early in development.

RNA therapy restores gene function in monkeys modeling Angelman syndrome

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Immune molecule alters cellular makeup of human brain organoids

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The changes may help explain the link between maternal infection and autism, though more research is needed.

New technique details brainstem's response to sounds

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

By revealing differences between autistic and non-autistic children, it could help identify autism in babies.

Brain connectivity, behavior flag four autism subtypes

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

A machine-learning technique applied to brain imaging data appears to predict a person’s mix of verbal intelligence, social affect and repetitive behaviors.

Going on Trial: Trofinetide approval for Rett; n-of-1 ASO therapies; cord-blood deals

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:00:00 -0400

This month’s issue of the Going on Trial newsletter examines personalized therapies for rare conditions, Acadia’s new drug for Rett syndrome and developments in a cord-blood program, among other autism-related drug trial news.

Maternal immune response dulls male rats' social radar

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Male rats prenatally exposed to a maternal immune response have atypical responses to other rats in distress, according to a new study.

U.S. autism prevalence continues to rise as race and sex gaps shrink, new stats show

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 10:00:00 -0400

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.

Cannabis compound rebalances signaling to quell seizures in mice

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Cannabidiol (CBD) blocks the action of a molecule that drives an overexcitability feedback loop in a rodent model of epilepsy.

'Splice-switching' strategy boosts SYNGAP1 expression

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The approach improves the function of SYNGAP1-deficient neurons in vitro, but whether it will work in people remains unclear.

FDA approval of trofinetide may spur further drug development for Rett

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The drug, welcomed by patients, might be just the first of many.

African genetics study NeuroDev shares initial findings

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The most comprehensive study of neurodevelopmental conditions in Kenya and South Africa ever conducted shares preliminary results and lessons.

Brain imaging do-over offers clues to field's replication problem

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Methodological choices and study-site artifacts confounded an attempt to replicate findings in support of an autism brain-imaging biomarker, according to new unpublished work.

Wiring map reveals how larval fruit fly brain converts sensory signals to movement

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

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.

Spectrum Launch: How early-career researchers can use ChatGPT to boost productivity

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 20:30:00 -0400

The new tool may pose challenges for the scientific community, but used wisely, it can help researchers save time and resources.

New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 05:00:00 -0500

The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.

To repair DNA, neurons harness autism-linked proteins

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0400

The proteins are part of a newly discovered complex that mends genetic damage exclusively in neurons.

Biotech downturn hurts companies targeting autism-linked conditions

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

After a year of intense growth, funding for biotech is in decline. The result is layoffs and program cuts — and maybe some innovation.

People's perceptions of 'social' animations don't always square with researchers' labels

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

The finding calls into question differences between autistic and non-autistic people on a decades-old theory-of-mind test involving interacting geometric shapes.

Dietary changes ease traits in rare autism-linked condition

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Early treatment with nutritional supplements and a high-protein diet forestalls some neurodevelopmental problems for children with BCKDK deficiency.

Neurons struggle to spike without fragile X gene

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

FMR1 loss impairs sodium channels, hindering mouse neurons from generating the electrical signals needed to transmit information.

Epigenome edits unmute MECP2 in Rett-like neurons

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Autism-linked MYT1L mutations prompt 'identity crisis' in budding brain cells

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Autism-linked chromatin regulators may moonlight as microtubule influencers

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Five autism-linked genes widely known as chromatin regulators appear to also shape the cell’s internal skeleton.

Chromatin remodeling tied to altered splicing in autism model

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Exposing neurons to valproic acid, a well-known environmental risk factor for autism, disrupts their ability to generate different proteins from the same gene.

Fishing for protein partners nets clues to autism

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Connections between 13 autism-linked proteins and their binding partners in excitatory neurons implicate a new molecular pathway.

CHD8 mutation in 33 mouse strains yields range of traits

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

The findings put genetic background forward to help explain autism’s heterogeneity.

Prolific autism researcher has two dozen papers retracted

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Elsevier’s retractions focus on peer review and conflicts of interest.

Head motion mars most fMRI results, even after correction

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

A new measure shows how greatly movement influences associations between traits and brain activity, revealing abundant false positives and false negatives.

'Mind-blowing' study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Racial, economic disparities skew New Jersey data on autism, intellectual disability

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Serious differences in autism identification persist, according to an analysis of autistic children in New Jersey over 16 years.

Autism research at the crossroads

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field.

Decisional capacity and informed consent, explained

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Tempering tales of a new autism measure: A conversation with Thomas Frazier

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Mutations in autism-linked gene cause membrane mischief

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane.

Null & Noteworthy: Intervention flops; neural noise; gender care

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Asleep in the Mouse House with Graham Diering

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Spectrum Launch: What makes a good graduate school interview?

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

’Tis the season for grad school meet and greets. But what are interviewers looking for, and how can early-career researchers bring their best?

'Science working as it should': Autism blood signature study earns open post-publication review

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Shortly after the study’s publication, experts critiqued it on PubPeer and other online platforms.

Immunity-linked genes expressed differently in brains of autistic people

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes.

Turner syndrome tied to autism

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Most people with the X-linked syndrome have autism traits, and about one-quarter meet diagnostic criteria for the condition.

Autism and the cell's antennae

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Hot topics in autism research in 2022

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

This year saw the debut of ever-more complex techniques to grow and analyze brain organoids and other 3D tissue cultures, among other advances.

How to plan policies that support the autism community in Brazil: Lessons from a U.S. experience

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Brazil could learn from the challenges and successes of other nations to become a leader in planning for the needs of autistic people.

How scientists can counteract their unwitting contributions to autism's sex bias

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Beyond the bench: Finding balance with Gavin Rumbaugh

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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 link between maternal infection and autism, explained

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Mapping tool reveals microglia's shape-shifting secrets

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The approach could help test hypotheses about how atypical function of the brain’s immune cells contributes to autism.

Multi-omics study captures CNTNAP2's far-ranging effects

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The in-depth approach shows mutations in the autism-linked gene disrupt neuronal growth and communication, as well as mitochondrial gene expression.

Spectrum Launch: Carving out vacation time as an early-career researcher

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.

'Assembloids' lay bare autism-linked genes that hamper neuron development

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The model enables the study of autism-linked genes at the earliest stages of neural development.

Excess of 'don't eat me' cell signals may drive brain enlargement in autism

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head.

Autism's sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.

Organoids identify potential therapies, circuit flaws for autism-linked syndromes

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Brain cell clusters serve as drug screens and reveal connectivity differences for autism-linked conditions, two new models show.

Zebrafish social behavior swims into mainstream

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

New studies bolster the idea that zebrafish models can say something meaningful about social behavior in autism.

Brain's memory center flags autistic adults at risk for cognitive decline

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Brain scans of the hippocampus reveal autistic people who are at increased risk of cognitive problems as they get older.

Consistent, convergent pathways link two forms of autism

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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 new history of autism, part III

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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 new history of autism, part II

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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 new history of autism, part I

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

A mix of common and rare variants shapes autism inheritance patterns

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The study also reveals a link between language development and common variants.

Autism brain signature most pronounced in sensory areas

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 04:00:00 -0400

An analysis of 11 cortical regions shows anterior-to-posterior shifts in gene expression linked to autism.

Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The gene, YTHDF2, has not previously been linked to autism.

Psychiatric conditions hospitalize almost one in three autistic women by age 25

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The findings, based on Swedish national registry data, suggest a critical need to expand mental health services for autistic people.

Lags in genetic testing, variant reporting hinder autism research

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

It's time to embrace 'profound autism'

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

What next for Angelman?

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A meeting in Texas reckons with the future of treatment, following two setbacks in 2020.

Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit's social role

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.

Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Human cortical organoids forge functional circuits in rat brains

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The transplanted cells integrate into living animals’ neural circuitry and influence behavior.

Genome scan spots common variant differences between autism and ADHD

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Common variants in five regions of the genome may determine whether someone has one condition versus the other.

Five tips for translating research findings into smart public policy

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Researchers can maximize the impact of their results by engaging policymakers more effectively.

Neuropsychologists launch efforts to diversify field

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Their plans stand to improve how autistic children from racial or ethnic minorities are evaluated.

New diagnostic code for PTEN syndrome may spur research

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The code may help scientists identify people with the autism-linked condition and recruit them into clinical trials.

Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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 cloudy connection between fragile X and cancer

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism's genetic heterogeneity evident in brain connectivity patterns

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The results highlight the importance of subgrouping study participants based on their underlying genetics, the researchers say.

Registry review casts doubt on causal link between maternal infection and autism

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The long-standing link between maternal infection during pregnancy and having a child with autism may reflect common genetic or environmental factors instead.

RNA rewrite improves breathing, survival in Rett mice

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The technique involves editing the cellular instructions to make MECP2 protein and partially restores its levels in the brainstem.

New mapping method reveals subtleties of brain development

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The machine-learning approach could help identify how brain structure differs between autistic and non-autistic infants, the researchers say.

Auditory cortex may develop early in autism

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A well-studied brain response to sound appears earlier than usual in young children with autism.

Autism researcher Daniel Geschwind nets top National Academies prize

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The prize recognizes Geschwind’s contributions to our understanding of autism genetics.

Autistic academics seek inclusivity to combat burnout

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Many autistic researchers say that academia could be the perfect place for them — but a number of obstacles stand in the way.

How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell's approach to autism research

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions.

Applied behavior analysis and autism: Flawed application of a proven science

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The field of ABA needs more compassion and individualization.

U.K. health authority investigates epilepsy drug's link to autism

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Studies investigating link between screen time and autism must improve

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Showing an association is not enough to determine causation.

Promising preclinical results prompt Angelman therapy trial

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

'Double duty' autism-linked genes upend conventional characterizations

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

What these genes do and how they affect autism depends on when in development they’re studied, despite what classic ‘gene ontology’ analyses say.

'Retro-Cascorder' tracks gene-expression timing

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The new tool may help researchers reconstruct the sequence of biological events that underlie development.

Scans of sundry variant types uncover autism-linked genes

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Yen for routine seeds anxiety in autistic children

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Interventions that moderate a need for ‘sameness’ may prevent anxiety traits.

Pathological demand avoidance in autism, explained

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Some clinicians say the term describes a subtype of autism, but others dispute its validity and say it is harmful to the autistic community.

Mutations disrupting chromatin interactions contribute to autism

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The mutations occur spontaneously in noncoding stretches of DNA that control gene expression.

Angelman therapy appears safer in restarted trial

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

In deep water with Gül Dölen

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A researcher’s existential crisis led to a scientific breakthrough.

Maternal genetics may confound studies of autism's link to prenatal factors

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Women who carry genetic variants tied to autism have an elevated chance of experiencing pregnancy-related events linked to the condition in their children.

Factors other than autism traits guide therapies for autistic children

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Anxiety drives amygdala differences in autistic youth

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Rising star: Ann Kennedy bridges gap between biology, computational theory

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A theoretical neuroscientist, 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.

How an expert panel evaluates genes for autism genetic tests

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Plethora of protein-making machines in neurons may underlie fragile X

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

An overabundance of ribosomes drives an imbalance of proteins produced from long and short genetic transcripts in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome.

New program offers $35K grants to study 'profound autism'

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Access to virtual autism therapy in US could narrow post-COVID

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Amygdala-linked brain areas grow differently in autism

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The growth differences vary between autistic boys and girls and are most apparent among children with prominent social difficulties.

The final frontier: Autism geneticists take on the noncoding genome

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Evidence for remote autism assessments trickles in

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging data support the remote tactics that kept autism diagnosis going during lockdowns.

The most personalized medicine: Studying your own child's rare condition

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A handful of scientists are committed to advancing research on the autism-related genetic conditions their own children have.

Mouse study links dopamine in cerebellum to social behavior

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism linked to inflammatory bowel disease in parents

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The inflammation associated with the disease, particularly in mothers, may contribute to autism traits in children.

Meet the company trying precision medicine for autism

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism-linked mutation disrupts brain circuit to change social behavior

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Therapies that target the circuit could boost social activity, new findings suggest.

Common inherited variants tied to autism show sex bias in families

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Poor sleep shifts social circuit in mice

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Data irregularities surface for study of microRNAs in autism

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Ways to make autism research more diverse and inclusive

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Scientists must focus on the importance of representative study samples and of engaging with diverse autism community members.

Gene therapy targets interneurons to tackle Dravet syndrome

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The approach, tested in mice, selectively boosts the expression of the autism-linked gene SCN1A in a subgroup of inhibitory cells.

Different forms of autism have opposite problems with brain precursor cells

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The cells’ altered proliferation rates hint at ways to diagnose and potentially treat autism earlier.

Brain networks diverge in autism by toddlerhood

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism-linked mutation alters neuronal network activity

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Neurons with a faulty copy of SETD1A, a gene tied to autism and schizophrenia, show structural abnormalities and altered connectivity patterns.

Spectrum of variants contribute differently to autism traits

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Different combinations of common, rare, inherited and spontaneous mutations may explain why traits vary so widely among autistic people.

Organoids test gene therapies for Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Spectrum 10K gets green light from ethics agency

Fri, 27 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

After a months-long review, the United Kingdom’s Health Research Authority upheld an earlier ethics approval for the embattled autism genetics study.

Six steps to using machine learning for animal behavior research

Thu, 26 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Standard quality-of-life screener validated for autistic adults

Tue, 24 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Researchers updated the tool’s scoring system to better align with the experiences of autistic people.

Fever doesn't ease challenging traits in most autistic children

Tue, 17 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The findings contradict a previous study, whose design may have been biased to find an effect.

Clinicians lack confidence in diagnostic interviews with Black mothers

Fri, 13 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Implicit biases might be to blame, and the discrepancy persists across clinics, regardless of maternal education, family income and a child’s IQ score.

Information loss may weaken autism genetic scores

Fri, 13 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Even the best data practices and technology drop key variants in attempts to predict autism likelihood.

Rising star: Lucia Peixoto, breaking down the interplay between sleep and autism

Mon, 09 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Inflammation may reshape brain regions tied to autism

Fri, 06 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Having a genetic predisposition to inflammation is linked to structural changes in brain regions implicated in neurodevelopmental conditions.

Autistic adults in Japan stay active in their communities, households

Thu, 05 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A new longitudinal study paints a favorable picture of the outcomes for many autistic adults in the city of Yokohama.

'Tainted kids,' other odd phrases cropping up in autism studies

Mon, 02 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The “tortured phrases” — strangely worded paraphrases of established terms — may be the work of software that attempts to disguise plagiarism.

Deep-learning tool tracks interacting animals in real time

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

By coupling the tool — called SLEAP — with optogenetics, researchers can determine the neural circuits underlying social behaviors.

Journal retracts paper on plant beauty that cited autism study

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Previous Spectrum reporting called out this paper and several others — all on unrelated subjects — that mysteriously cite autism papers.

Access to Medicaid waivers varies with race, age, region

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

A whisper of autism: Fragile X carriers and the autism phenotype

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Researchers, advocates rush to aid autistic Ukrainians

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Histone-modifying drug improves autism-like behaviors in mice

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The experimental compound, called GSK-LSD1, enhances social preferences and reduces repetitive grooming in mice, according to a new study.

Why autism therapies have an evidence problem

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Fruit flies help reveal effects of autism-linked mutations

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Dozens of rare mutations of unknown effects seen in autistic people cause significant changes to fruit flies, suggesting they are linked to the condition.

Miniature microscope records thousands of neurons in moving mice

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism and menopause: Q&A with Rachel Moseley and Julie Turner-Cobb

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Biases skew behavioral predictions from brain scans

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Models trained on datasets that lack racial and ethnic diversity perform less accurately on brain scans from Black Americans than their white counterparts.

Pandemic, politics temper INSAR's in-person return

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Unfamiliar surroundings bring out autism-like behaviors, brain circuit changes in model mice

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A brain area called the tail of the striatum may account for the shift.

New MRI probe illuminates neuronal interactions

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The calcium-sensing instrument translates neuronal activity into signals that can be detected via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Lisa Croen: Autism's first dedicated epidemiologist

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Inspired by watching her autistic nephew grow up, Croen has also been an advocate for bolstering research and services for autistic adults.

Drug boosts growth of neurons deficient in autism-linked protein

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The neurons, which have low levels of the gene ASH1L, sprout more branches after the treatment.

Neural network finds markers of autism, gender in brain scans

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Deep-learning algorithms can cut through some of the noise in brain imaging data collected across different sites.

Switching neurons on and off to probe autism circuits

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

A 3D optogenetics method can mimic natural rhythms of neural activity, rendering previously unanswerable questions amenable to inquiry — including questions about autism.

Web-based autism screening service raises a host of concerns

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Neurona Health, a company in San Francisco, California, backed away from part of its newly launched services after Spectrum started reporting about them.

Power shortages dim results of many neuroimaging studies

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

An overreliance on small studies with limited reproducibility has slowed the advancement of neuroimaging, a new analysis suggests.

My hope for Ukrainians with autism

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

To think that what we are witnessing now in Ukraine is far removed from the world of autism would be a huge mistake.

New autism clinicians reflect on skill gaps, gains after remote training

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 04:00:00 -0400

The pandemic has forced many health-care students to train online, raising concerns about their readiness.

Health-care barriers prevent many autistic people from seeking medical treatment

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Macaques' social skills tied to variation in autism-linked genes

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Genetics strongly influences some aspects of the monkey’s social behavior, including tendencies to solicit grooming and sit or play alone.

Electronic health record alerts for physicians boost autism study enrollment

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

As the pandemic wanes, will autism diagnoses rise in its wake?

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Flawed methods undermine study on undiagnosed autism and suicide

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The researchers attempted to retroactively identify signs of autism in people who died by suicide, but their analysis is not convincing.

Early language loss in autistic children not tied to later communication problems

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Many autistic children experience language regression for about three months in early childhood, but this lapse does not appear to foretell future communication issues.

Cracking autism's sleep conundrum

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Amygdala development diverges in autism-specific anxiety

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Women outnumbered among editors of top journals in neuroscience, but not in autism

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Top autism candidate gene tied to newly identified syndrome

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Mutations in the autism-linked gene PAX5 underlie a range of traits, including developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures and autism.

Petrus de Vries: Architect of the autism research field in Africa

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Petrus de Vries is on a quest to outfit Africa, the continent of his birth, with trained autism researchers and service providers.

Most autism intervention studies lack data on race, ethnicity

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Searching for the biology behind autism's sex bias

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Probe captures neuronal conversations in people

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

A modified version of a probe commonly used in animals detected neuronal activity across different cortical layers in three people undergoing brain surgery.

Anorexia before or during pregnancy linked to having a child with autism

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The connection is likely mediated by environmental, not genetic, factors, according to a new study.

Immune gene tied to social behavior in autism mouse model

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Study links screen time to autism, but problems abound

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

The paper relied on parent-reported data and adjusted for few potentially confounding variables.

Hollis Cline: Leapfrogging over gaps in autism research

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Population study downgrades some copy number variants' impact on autism

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Some copy number variants may boost a person’s chances of having autism, but to a lesser extent than previously thought.

Loss of autism-linked gene alters synapse development in mice

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Growth factor analogue shows promise for Rett syndrome in late-stage trial

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Why was a study about autism cited by a paper on plant beauty?

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Autism studies are appearing in the reference lists of entirely unrelated papers, suggesting what a few scholars worry is a plot to manipulate citations.

Autism comorbidities reflect racial, ethnic disparities

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Autistic people from historically marginalized races and ethnicities are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed with accompanying health conditions.

FDA cites hair-based autism diagnostic aid as 'breakthrough'

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Despite scant publicly available data, makers of the ‘exposome’-based method say it could help with diagnosing autism and identifying subtypes.

Beyond the Bench: A conversation with Kristin Sohl

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Adult autism diagnoses don't routinely follow other diagnoses in childhood

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Alternate RNA versions of genes may shape autism

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Autism may involve different levels of RNA isoforms encoded by genes in the brain, which express many more proteins than previously thought.

The connection between oxytocin and autism, explained

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Motor skills in autism: A missed opportunity

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 05:00:00 -0500

Motor differences are more relevant than has historically been appreciated for understanding, assessing and supporting people on the spectrum.

DNA methylation in autism, explained

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0500

How chemical tags called methyl groups position themselves on genetic sequences may hint at some of the causes of autism.

First-of-its-kind commission defines 'profound autism,' issues recommendations

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Birdsong-related DNA sequences tied to autism-linked genes

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Genes that appear to play a role in some birds’ ability to learn songs are frequently mutated in autistic people.

U.S. autism prevalence inches upward as racial gaps close

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Autism prevalence in the United States rose to 1 in 44 children in 2018, up from 1 in 54 in 2016.

Autism without intellectual impairments more common than previously reported

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Almost 60 percent of autistic people may have an average or above-average intelligence quotient, according to a new longitudinal study.

Shafali Jeste: Early autism meets its match

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Genetic effects stack up in some people with autism

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Cognitive behavioral therapy may be only mildly effective for anxious, autistic children

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Many autistic children rate the therapy as less effective at treating their anxiety than their parents and clinicians do.

Including immune cells in brain organoids improves model's accuracy

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

Cortical organoids that contain non-neuronal brain cells called microglia may reflect human neurodevelopment more faithfully than those that don’t.

Fragile X theory falters on amygdala test

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

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.

Despite calls to action, Black scientists remain underrepresented at neuroscience meetings

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 05:00:00 -0500

The percentage of Black researchers presenting at neuroscience conferences has increased by only a meager amount since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

Six steps to engaging in participatory autism research

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Sex bias emerges in new mouse model with autism-linked mutation

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Deep-learning model may accurately predict autism diagnosis

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

How an understudied trait has skewed autism studies for decades

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Serotonin shapes social memory signals

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

Social memory, which may be altered in autism, depends on serotonin-sensitive neurons that send signals from the medial septum to the hippocampus.

Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

Treating cognitive inflexibility — for example, by practicing problem-solving — might help ease anxiety and depression in autistic people.

Despite flurry of findings, doubts dog gut microbes' role in autism

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Autism-linked genetic variants increase, decrease intelligence

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

Common and rare variants in or near autism-associated genes can have opposite effects on cognition.

Backlash from autistic community pauses research, exposes communication gaps

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.

Intranasal oxytocin ineffective for autism in large trial

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 04:00:00 -0400

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.