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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Katie Moisse

Contributing editor

Katie Moisse is contributing editor and former news editor at Spectrum.  She teaches science communication at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has a Ph.D. in neuropathology from the University of Western Ontario and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University.

Contact Info

[email protected]

January 2017
Week of JanuaryJan
9th
2017

Trumping science; Brexit blowback; baby brains

by  /  13 January 2017

Donald Trump seems to see science through the lens of conspiracy, Brexit may spur an exodus of scientific talent from the United Kingdom, and preterm babies show atypical brain activity before birth.

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December 2016
Week of DecemberDec
12th
2016

Treatments on trial; future in flux; summoning scientists

by  /  16 December 2016

Drugs for autism and epilepsy have their day in court, a spending bill leaves scientists in limbo, and researchers should speak up to correct misinformation.

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Week of DecemberDec
5th
2016

Immune attack; CRISPR climax; postdoc plight

by  /  9 December 2016

Immune molecules could be targets for autism treatments, the battle for CRISPR’s patent may be nearing an end, and a plan to give postdoctoral researchers overtime pay is scuttled.

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Week of NovemberNov
28th
2016

Trump change; preprint power; science stories

by  /  2 December 2016

Scientists are nervous about the next four years, grant money is making preprints more common, and researchers should grab a beer with a science writer.

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November 2016

Extra dose of Rett syndrome gene alters brain waves in monkeys

by  /  16 November 2016

Monkeys with multiple copies of the gene MeCP2 have irregular brain waves similar to those seen in some children with autism.

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Immune molecule may mediate effects of maternal infection

by  /  16 November 2016

Infections during pregnancy increase levels of an immune molecule in the placenta that alters brain development and behavior in mice.

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Placenta may hold clues to sex bias in autism

by  /  16 November 2016

Infecting pregnant rats with group B streptococcus triggers inflammation in the fetal side of the placenta, but only in male fetuses.

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Tapestry of neural fibers enriches new map of monkey brain

by  /  15 November 2016

A three-dimensional atlas of the rhesus macaque brain details the structural and functional boundaries between brain regions with unprecedented accuracy.

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Merging ‘mini-brains’ recapitulates brain’s electrical balance

by  /  15 November 2016

Fusing two spheres of neurons that either ramp up or tamp down brain activity yields neural networks like those in the developing brain.

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Lightweight ‘Miniscope’ lights up mouse brains around the globe

by  /  14 November 2016

More than 100 labs in 17 countries have built miniaturized microscopes that plug into the brains of mice.

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