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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: microglia

June 2016

Analyses of gene activity may yield clues to roots of autism

by ,  /  28 June 2016

Network analyses of gene expression patterns may point to key molecular pathways that autism alters and suggest new ways of treating the condition.

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May 2016

Gene expression patterns may underlie autism’s gender bias

by  /  5 May 2016

Genes that are expressed at higher levels in men’s brains than in women’s also tend to be enriched in the brains of people with autism.

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April 2016

Pesticide effect on cells may resemble signs of autism

by  /  4 April 2016

A class of fungicides used on crops can produce changes in mouse brain cells that look similar to those seen in people with autism.

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February 2016

The brain’s secret gardeners

by  /  3 February 2016

Once thought merely to be specialized immune system cells, microglia now appear to be master landscapers of the developing brain.

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December 2015

Staff picks from 2015

by  /  22 December 2015

Some of our favorite stories this year went beyond the news to lay bare critical controversies or highlight real-world implications of research.

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October 2015

Blue light used for optogenetics may have off-target effects

by  /  18 October 2015

Tiny pulses of blue light dampen the expression of inflammatory genes in microglia, and may cause unplanned effects when using optogenetics.

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Study grants starring role to astrocytes in Rett syndrome

by  /  17 October 2015

A new study casts brain cells called astrocytes as minor stars in Rett syndrome, a disorder that almost exclusively affects girls.

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Week of SeptemberSep
28th
2015

Power player; placebo predictors

by  /  2 October 2015

The MacArthur Foundation honors neuroscientist Beth Stevens, and researchers pin down factors that influence the placebo effect in autism trials.

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September 2015
Portrait of Beth Stevens.

Beth Stevens: Casting immune cells as brain sculptors

by  /  24 September 2015

Beth Stevens is unmasking new roles for microglia, the mysterious brain cells that seem to shape brain circuits.

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May 2015

Study questions promise of bone marrow transplant for Rett

by  /  22 May 2015

Researchers from four labs were unable to reproduce the findings from a high-profile 2012 study in which bone marrow transplants dramatically extended the lives of mice with features of Rett syndrome. Their sobering findings were published yesterday in Nature.

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