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Emerging tools and techniques that may advance autism research.

A research image of a mouse running on a wheel

New specs immerse mice in virtual worlds

by  /  16 October 2023

The tool — called “MouseGoggles” — could provide rodents with an improved virtual experience in the lab, at a lower cost than current techniques.

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October 2023
Research image of cerebral organoids.

Method pinpoints cell-specific effects of autism-linked mutations

by  /  3 October 2023

The approach, which combines CRISPR with single-cell analyses of organoids, suggests that intermediate progenitor cells are especially vulnerable to mutations associated with autism.

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September 2023
Image of a mouse with a lightweight neural recording device implanted in its head moving around a small enclosure and jumping between platforms of various heights.

Lightweight system captures brain activity while mice jump

by  /  26 September 2023

A thin “micro-tether” and rotating connector facilitate uninterrupted, hours-long neural population recordings as the animals freely explore their environment.

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Two mice touching.

‘Social touch’ responses in mice gauged with unprecedented control

by  /  19 September 2023

A new tool could help decipher the brain circuits underlying aversion to social touch, which is common in people with autism.

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August 2023
Close up of blood vessels shows probe sticking to vessel wall.

Brain-surgery-free probes can record single-neuron activity

by  /  15 August 2023

The new devices, which monitor neural activity from within blood vessels, show long-term stability in rats and could one day deliver electrical stimulation.

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Position heatmaps of mice performing a behavioral assay.

New test taps nose pokes as a proxy for social motivation in mice

by  /  10 August 2023

Over one hour, a particularly motivated mouse poked its nose 350 times into a hole in the test chamber in the hopes of meeting a playmate.

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A research image of the fly brain connectome

Full connectome of adult fruit fly completed, with help from citizen scientists

by  /  7 August 2023

The map, by far the largest one of an entire brain to date, contains 130,000 neurons and 53 million synapses.

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Still image from a video of a mouse maneuvering a robot around a maze while imaging tools capture neuronal activity in its cortex.

Robotic headgear records brain activity in moving mice

by  /  3 August 2023

The tool could help researchers study the neurobiology of natural behaviors, scientists say.

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July 2023
Research images of a Fanzor protein.

Compact kin of CRISPR discovered across eukaryotes

by  /  31 July 2023

The newfound DNA-cutting enzyme, called Fanzor, can be programmed to edit the human genome and could prove easier to deliver to cells than current CRISPR tools.

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A multiplexed image of human decidua.

Atlas charts cells of human placenta, uterus across early pregnancy

by  /  27 July 2023

A new resource gives an unparalleled look at how fetal placental cells attach to the uterine wall and remodel maternal blood vessels to access nutrients.

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Repurposed electronics lens spies neurons across entire mouse brain

by  /  14 July 2023

When combined with tissue-inflation methods, the microscope can image axons without the need for tissue slicing, the researchers say.

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