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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: prenatal diagnosis

September 2022
Human silhouettes are seen against a colorful, abstract representation of a genetic sequence.

How geneticists can gain greater buy-in from the autistic community

by  /  9 September 2022

My recommendations aim to foster a collaborative relationship between researchers and the Autistic community, resulting in an increase in the availability of genetic data.

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May 2021

Fetal brain scans may forecast autism traits in toddlers

by  /  7 May 2021

Children with highly folded and curved brains in utero tend to show autism-linked behaviors at 18 months of age, according to a longitudinal brain-imaging study.

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December 2020
White lab mouse sitting in a gloved hand.

Notable papers in autism research, 2020

by  /  23 December 2020

Gene therapies and the factors influencing autism traits top Spectrum’s list of the 10 most notable research findings we covered in 2020.

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November 2020
Micrograph of nerve cells being targeted by CRISPR enzyme to activate the silenced gene in Angelman syndrome

Prenatal CRISPR therapy blocks Angelman syndrome traits in mice

by  /  9 November 2020

A gene-editing treatment shows long-lasting effects in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition related to autism.

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October 2020
Ralf Schmid, the research director in Neurodevelopmental diseases at the Gene Therapy Program Orphan Disease Center, loads replicated mouse dna into wells in the gel before applying electric current to test the viability of the dna.

A quest for Quincy: Gene therapies come of age for some forms of autism

by ,  /  14 October 2020

A gene therapy for Angelman syndrome stands at the forefront of efforts to treat autism-linked conditions that stem from single genes.

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January 2020

Researchers map connections in fetal human brain

by  /  24 January 2020

A new map of the fetal brain during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reveals the brain’s complex network of connections.

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August 2019
Illustration shows woman peering at her partner and child from behind a 'curtain' of genome sequence

The problems with prenatal testing for autism

by  /  14 August 2019

As prenatal testing improves, it presents a host of thorny issues — from what to test and how to interpret the results, to what to do about them.

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July 2019

Ultrasensitive blood test may detect autism mutations in utero

by  /  18 July 2019

A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.

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April 2019
Illustration of a human fetus in a screening test

Prenatal sequencing for some autism genes may soon be available

by  /  10 April 2019

Two new studies point to the possibility of detecting autism mutations before birth — along with all the ethical and logistical problems that may bring.

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August 2017
Week of AugustAug
21st
2017

Mitochondrial risk; anxiety amelioration; fever factor and more

by  /  25 August 2017

Some variants in mitochondrial DNA are more common than others in autism, cognitive therapy reduces anxiety for people on the spectrum, and maternal fever in the third trimester is tied to autism risk.

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