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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Signs & Symptoms

Autism’s core symptoms accompany a constellation of subtle signs that scientists are just beginning to unmask.

October 2011
Artist's rendering of blue neurons in a network, with some connections firing, in yellow.

Molecular mechanisms: Autism gene tied to neuronal wiring

by  /  21 October 2011

An autism-linked protein helps wire neurons together, according to two studies published in late September.

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Facial features provide clue to autism severity

by  /  20 October 2011

Boys with autism have a distinct facial structure that differs from that of typically developing controls, according to a study published 14 October in Molecular Autism.

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Growth factor improves autism symptoms in mice

by  /  19 October 2011

Mice lacking a copy of SHANK3, a gene associated with autism and intellectual disability, show marked improvements in brain signaling after being treated with insulin-like growth factor 1, according to unpublished findings presented Saturday at the International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal, Canada.

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Photo: A pair of glasses sits in front of an eyesight testing poster with letters. The poster is magnified through the glasses lenses.

Cognition and behavior: Vision same in autism and controls

by  /  19 October 2011

Individuals with Asperger syndrome perform at the same level as controls do on tests of visual ability, according to a study published 30 August in Biological Psychiatry. This result adds to growing evidence against the claim, made in an infamous 2009 study, that individuals with autism have superior vision.

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Upright citizens

by  /  18 October 2011

Adolescents with autism may not use abstract reasoning to understand why certain acts are wrong, but they know the difference between a moral transgression and a social blunder.

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Genetics: Mutant mice finger new gene in autism region

by  /  18 October 2011

Deleting one copy of TBX1, a gene located on the autism-linked chromosomal region 22q11.2, leads to social and communication deficits in mice.

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Researchers debut mice with links to Williams syndrome

by  /  17 October 2011

Mouse pups with a duplication of GTF2I, a gene linked to Williams syndrome and autism, show extreme separation anxiety when separated from their mothers, according to unpublished findings presented Thursday at the International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal, Canada.

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Fast-evolving gene is key player in brain development

by  /  14 October 2011

A gene that changed rapidly after the human genome diverged from that of Neanderthals plays a critical role in brain development, according to unpublished results presented Thursday at the International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal, Canada.

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Babies in motion

by  /  14 October 2011

A fascinating project is measuring the precise movements of infants as they interact with objects and people. The researchers are using the data to learn about infant development and build a ‘social’ robot.

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Clinical research: Asthma drugs do not increase risk of autism

by  /  14 October 2011

Pregnant women who take beta-2 adrenergic agonists, commonly prescribed to treat asthma, are no more likely to have a child with autism than are those who don’t take the drugs.

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