Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

topic /

The Brain

Charting the structure and function of the brain’s many circuits may unravel autism’s mysteries.

November 2022
An older woman with gray hair sits on a couch and speaks with a clinician.

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

by  /  17 November 2022

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

Comments
Two white mice socialize.

Autism genes converge on disruptions in social brain circuit

by  /  17 November 2022

The circuit linking the prefrontal cortex and part of the thalamus is impaired in mice raised in social isolation and in mice with mutations in the FMR1 or TSC2 genes.

Comments
Ellen Hoffman sits in a chair and smiles.

Screening zebrafish autism models: A quick take at SfN with Ellen Hoffman

by  /  16 November 2022

Zebrafish with mutations in 10 different autism-linked genes show a range of unique and shared phenotypes.

Comments
A white mouse sits on a nest against a blue background.

Mouse models help sniff out olfactory differences in autism

by  /  16 November 2022

A range of presentations at Neuroscience 2022 tie atypical social behavior to trouble discriminating between odors in the animals.

Comments
Tuan Chao speaks about her research.

Tying PPFIA3 to autism: A quick take at SfN with Tuan Chao and Maimuna Paul

by  /  15 November 2022

Work in fruit flies has helped Paul decode a neurodevelopmental syndrome in children caused by rare de novo variants in the gene PPFIA3.

Comments
Scan of a zebrafish brain showing neuron activity.

Decoding sensory brain networks: A quick take at SfN with Ethan Scott

by  /  15 November 2022

Scott describes his work on sound processing differences in the brains of zebrafish that model fragile X syndrome.

Comments
Illustration of multipolar neurons.

Consistent, convergent pathways link two forms of autism

by  /  15 November 2022

People with dup15q syndrome and those with idiopathic autism have similar patterns of altered gene expression in early brain development and later in life.

Comments
A grid of clocks placed over a colorful gene sequence.

Autism-linked genes clock daily oscillations

by  /  14 November 2022

Rhythmic variations in the genes’ brain expression levels may help explain the sleep problems that often accompany the condition.

Comments
Three-dimensional structure of cells in the cerebellum.

Flexible genomic architecture undergoes major redesigns during cerebellum development

by  /  13 November 2022

A new atlas reveals how the structural shake-ups within a cell’s genome differ by cell type and brain region over time.

Comments
Single astrocyte on black background.

Mouse studies cast astrocytes as stars of sensory perception

by  /  13 November 2022

Data from two separate research teams suggest the cells are key to sensory hypersensitivity in fragile X syndrome.

Comments