Conference Reports
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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or her amygdala — the small, deep brain region that is strongly associated with emotional processing — according to an unpublished five-year longitudinal study presented Wednesday afternoon at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.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are narrowing in on a pool of genes that may be involved in helping neurons find their targets, according to unpublished work presented today in a poster session at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.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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conference reportSome small fragments of RNA, called microRNAs, are under-expressed in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared with controls, according to unpublished research based on postmortem brain tissue presented this morning at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder each affect about one percent of the population, and recent genetic...→
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conference reportThe molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity — the ability of neurons to change the strength of their connections — can vary across different inhibitory neural circuits as much as they can vary across excitatory neural circuits, according to research presented this morning at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Uncovering these mechanisms could...→
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conference reportLithium treatment reverses some of the behavioral and brain-cell abnormalities in mouse models of fragile X syndrome — an inherited form of mental retardation that includes learning deficits, aggressiveness, and social withdrawal — according to research presented today at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Doctors have for about 50 years prescribed lithium...→
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conference reportA team of scientists is reprogramming adult stem cells generated from tiny skin samples of people with autism to form nerve cells, creating a powerful research tool for the disorder.
Exposed to the correct transcription proteins, skin cells can transform into pluripotent stem cells — which, in turn, can be prompted to...→
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conference reportTargeting epigenetic mechanisms may offer potential new therapies for people with developmental disorders including autism, researchers said today at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.
Epigenetics refers to modifications of the DNA sequence, such as the addition of a methyl group, that can alter gene expression without changing the sequence. Environmental factors such...→
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conference reportResearchers at the Society for Neuroscience today described a new test for animal behavior that doesn't interfere with normal mouse behavior, doesn't require human interaction, and makes it simple to take long-term measurements: the ‘licking test’.
Best of all, the new test seems to differentiate between two models of Angelman syndrome that...→
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