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newsAutism and fragile X syndrome are characterized by very different brain processes, even though the two disorders show similar social deficits, say authors of the first functional imaging study to compare the two disorders1.
Fragile X syndrome is a form of inherited mental retardation that stems from a rare mutation in...→
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newsThe absence of a protein involved in a prominent cancer pathway leads to repetitive behaviors and learning deficits in mice, creating a viable model for autism research, according to a study published last week in Neuron 1.
The protein, FKBP12, serves as a receptor for rapamycin, a cancer drug that has...→
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newsVariants in contactin-associated protein-like 2 or CNTNAP2 — a gene thought to be involved in nerve cell communication — are associated with language deficits in families affected by specific language impairment (SLI), a developmental disorder that affects roughly seven percent of kindergarten-age children, according to a study published in late November...→
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newsChildren with autism process sounds a split second slower than typically developing children, according to a new study that measured the magnetic fields emitted from the children's brains.
Although preliminary, the findings may partly explain the language and communication problems that burden so many with the disorder, the researchers say.
"The findings [show...→
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newsThe first postmortem study to examine the effects of chromosome 15 duplication on gene expression shows completely divergent results, suggesting that the effect of genetic duplications is far from predictable, according to a study published last month in the Journal of Medical Genetics 1.
Between 1 to 3 percent of people...→
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newsSome small fragments of RNA are expressed differently in people with autism than in controls, according to two new studies. The findings unveil another layer of complexity in the genetics of autism.
These pieces of single-stranded RNA — dubbed microRNAs or miRNAs — have wide-ranging, subtle effects on the production of many...→
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conference reportA child's language ability correlates with the volume of his or her amygdala — the small, deep brain region that is strongly associated with emotional processing — according to an unpublished five-year longitudinal study presented Wednesday afternoon at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Analyzing brain imaging data collected from 24 infants at...→
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conference reportHigh-functioning children with autism may understand another person’s intention when, for example, that person reaches for a glass of water — a simple, goal-directed task — without help from the mirror neuron system, according to research reported Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Some researchers have proposed that mirror neurons —...→
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conference reportResearchers are narrowing in on a pool of genes that may be involved in helping neurons find their targets, according to unpublished work presented today in a poster session at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
The work focused on neurons in the mouse retina, the inner layer of the eye, but has...→
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conference reportA new slow-release form of the drug risperidone — an antipsychotic given to people with schizophrenia, autism and other psychiatric conditions — lasts in the blood days instead of hours, according to research presented today at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Risperidone inhibits dopamine signaling in the brain, and the U.S. Food...→
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