Audio research news
Episodes
'Mind-blowing' study upends conventional wisdom on oxytocin
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CRISPR-edited prairie voles that lack receptors for the so-called “social hormone” still bond with their mate and pups, raising questions about th...
Racial, economic disparities skew New Jersey data on autism, intellectual disability
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Serious differences in autism identification persist, according to an analysis of autistic children in New Jersey over 16 years.
Autism research at the crossroads
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The power struggle between researchers, autistic self-advocates and parents is threatening progress across the field.
Decisional capacity and informed consent, explained
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To include more autistic people in research, here’s what scientists need to know about informed consent procedures for study participants who ha...
Tempering tales of a new autism measure: A conversation with Thomas Frazier
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The questionnaire, designed to screen children for autism, isn’t ready for clinical use without further validation, contrary to what some overblown ...
Mutations in autism-linked gene cause membrane mischief
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inactivating TAOK1 prompts tentacle-like protrusions to form all over a neuron’s surface, revealing the gene’s role in molding the membrane.
Null & Noteworthy: Intervention flops; neural noise; gender care
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This edition takes aim at the autism-intervention evidence base with a slew of null results, plus findings that challenge a prevailing autism brain th...
Asleep in the Mouse House with Graham Diering
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Memories from Diering’s life trace the rising star’s scientific path from raising lizards as a child and later exploring home brewing to heading a...
Spectrum Launch: What makes a good graduate school interview?
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
’Tis the season for grad school meet and greets. But what are interviewers looking for, and how can early-career researchers bring their best?
'Science working as it should': Autism blood signature study earns open post-publication review
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shortly after the study’s publication, experts critiqued it on PubPeer and other online platforms.
Immunity-linked genes expressed differently in brains of autistic people
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune gen...
Turner syndrome tied to autism
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most people with the X-linked syndrome have autism traits, and about one-quarter meet diagnostic criteria for the condition.
Autism and the cell's antennae
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how...
Hot topics in autism research in 2022
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This year saw the debut of ever-more complex techniques to grow and analyze brain organoids and other 3D tissue cultures, among other advances.
How to plan policies that support the autism community in Brazil: Lessons from a U.S. experience
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brazil could learn from the challenges and successes of other nations to become a leader in planning for the needs of autistic people.
How scientists can counteract their unwitting contributions to autism's sex bias
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Common diagnostic and research practices may be adding to autism’s sex bias, but there are some simple steps scientists can take to counteract it.
Beyond the bench: Finding balance with Gavin Rumbaugh
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rumbaugh, who studies how the autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 shapes brain development, describes how he has embraced coastal living and which aspects of h...
The link between maternal infection and autism, explained
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Having an infection during pregnancy is tied to a small increase in the chances of having an autistic child, but the connection may not be causal.
Mapping tool reveals microglia's shape-shifting secrets
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The approach could help test hypotheses about how atypical function of the brain’s immune cells contributes to autism.
Spectrum Launch: Carving out vacation time as an early-career researcher
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Early-career researchers talk about the challenges around taking time off, and a new study shows that young scientists tend to be more innovative than...
Multi-omics study captures CNTNAP2's far-ranging effects
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The in-depth approach shows mutations in the autism-linked gene disrupt neuronal growth and communication, as well as mitochondrial gene expression.
Autism subgroups converge on cell growth pathway
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Faulty mTOR signaling, implicated in syndromic forms of autism, also hinders cells grown from people with idiopathic autism or autism-linked deletions...
One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.
'Assembloids' lay bare autism-linked genes that hamper neuron development
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The model enables the study of autism-linked genes at the earliest stages of neural development.
Excess of 'don't eat me' cell signals may drive brain enlargement in autism
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head.
Autism's sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.
Organoids identify potential therapies, circuit flaws for autism-linked syndromes
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brain cell clusters serve as drug screens and reveal connectivity differences for autism-linked conditions, two new models show.
Zebrafish social behavior swims into mainstream
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New studies bolster the idea that zebrafish models can say something meaningful about social behavior in autism.
Brain's memory center flags autistic adults at risk for cognitive decline
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brain scans of the hippocampus reveal autistic people who are at increased risk of cognitive problems as they get older.
Consistent, convergent pathways link two forms of autism
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People with dup15q syndrome and those with idiopathic autism have similar patterns of altered gene expression in early brain development and later in ...
The new history of autism, part III
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these...
The new history of autism, part II
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these...
The new history of autism, part I
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, two figures have dominated the history of autism studies. Today, newly excavated documents are calling into question the primacy of these...
A mix of common and rare variants shapes autism inheritance patterns
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The study also reveals a link between language development and common variants.
Autism brain signature most pronounced in sensory areas
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis of 11 cortical regions shows anterior-to-posterior shifts in gene expression linked to autism.
Zebrafish point to new gene involved in brain overgrowth, autism
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The gene, YTHDF2, has not previously been linked to autism.
Psychiatric conditions hospitalize almost one in three autistic women by age 25
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The findings, based on Swedish national registry data, suggest a critical need to expand mental health services for autistic people.
Lags in genetic testing, variant reporting hinder autism research
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Few autistic people undergo the recommended genetic testing for their condition, and test results often do not make their way into public databases, w...
It's time to embrace 'profound autism'
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My experience at the Autism-Europe International Congress — and as a parent of a child with profound autism — makes me more convinced than ever th...
What next for Angelman?
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A meeting in Texas reckons with the future of treatment, following two setbacks in 2020.
Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit's social role
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.
Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Compared with their unaffected siblings and unrelated controls, children with autism harbor more copy number variants in genes that govern the circadi...
Human cortical organoids forge functional circuits in rat brains
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The transplanted cells integrate into living animals’ neural circuitry and influence behavior.
Genome scan spots common variant differences between autism and ADHD
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Common variants in five regions of the genome may determine whether someone has one condition versus the other.
Five tips for translating research findings into smart public policy
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers can maximize the impact of their results by engaging policymakers more effectively.
Neuropsychologists launch efforts to diversify field
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Their plans stand to improve how autistic children from racial or ethnic minorities are evaluated.
New diagnostic code for PTEN syndrome may spur research
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The code may help scientists identify people with the autism-linked condition and recruit them into clinical trials.
Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a brain transplant of reprogrammed human cells, the animals can for the first time recapitulate some neuronal changes seen in people with fragil...
The cloudy connection between fragile X and cancer
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People with the autism-linked syndrome lack a protein implicated in several cancers, but it’s unclear whether — or how — they are protected from...
Autism's genetic heterogeneity evident in brain connectivity patterns
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The results highlight the importance of subgrouping study participants based on their underlying genetics, the researchers say.
Registry review casts doubt on causal link between maternal infection and autism
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The long-standing link between maternal infection during pregnancy and having a child with autism may reflect common genetic or environmental factors ...
RNA rewrite improves breathing, survival in Rett mice
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The technique involves editing the cellular instructions to make MECP2 protein and partially restores its levels in the brainstem.
New mapping method reveals subtleties of brain development
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The machine-learning approach could help identify how brain structure differs between autistic and non-autistic infants, the researchers say.
Auditory cortex may develop early in autism
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A well-studied brain response to sound appears earlier than usual in young children with autism.
Autism researcher Daniel Geschwind nets top National Academies prize
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The prize recognizes Geschwind’s contributions to our understanding of autism genetics.