Spectrum (Autism Research News)
@Spectrum
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Spectrum from The Transmitter. Forging collaborations that deepen our understanding of autism. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://t.co/k76odTz6ae
New York, NY
Joined April 2011
Explore our redesigned Global Autism Prevalence Map, which makes it easy to find studies on autism prevalence around the world. Filter studies by location, year, sample size and more. New studies are added regularly. Available only on desktop: https://t.co/zv5nBMc1i2
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Over-active excitatory neurons in the cortex in infant mice lead to social deficits, according to a new preprint that study researchers claim can sway the debate over how signaling imbalances contribute to autism. By @DeWeerdt_Sarah
https://t.co/DRrx4PiJA3
thetransmitter.org
The findings add fuel to the long-running debate over how an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory signaling contributes to the autism.
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Why do human synapses take so much longer to form than those in other mammals? Chimeric mice transplanted with human neurons are beginning to provide some answers. By @holly_barker92
https://t.co/oUsPcAJrQS
thetransmitter.org
Human-specific duplicates of SRGAP2 prolong cortical development by manipulating SYNGAP, an autism-linked protein that slows synaptic growth.
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A large study of developing brains reveals genetic and molecular differences between males and females. The findings may help explain why neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, occur at different rates in boys and girls. By @GiorgiaWithAnI
https://t.co/P0mhOCXdoR
thetransmitter.org
Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.
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A variant of CRISPR amps up expression of SCN2A, rescuing mice from seizures caused by haploinsufficiency. By @cqchoi
https://t.co/0op2fY89b3
thetransmitter.org
A modified form of CRISPR amps up expression of the gene—a strategy that could apply to other gene variations linked to autism.
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While the newly awarded Autism Data Science Initiative projects look “outstanding,” concerns remain over the program’s abnormal and opaque review process. By @callimcflurry
https://t.co/1aOuqDIHjj
thetransmitter.org
An atypical funding mechanism, short timeline and opaque review process had generated concern over the quality of projects that would be selected.
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The awarded projects plan to study gene-and-environment interactions in people, stem cells and organoids, as well as predictors of positive life outcomes in autistic youth and adults. By @callimcflurry
https://t.co/JzDSecoUN6
thetransmitter.org
The projects plan to study gene-and-environment interactions in people, stem cells and organoids, as well as predictors of positive life outcomes.
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“It is rich that the NIH and Big Pharma want to take over leucovorin when they and the universities have fought my research for 20 years,” says Richard Frye. By @bborrell
https://t.co/OxMOKVKic6
thetransmitter.org
Frye has led two placebo-controlled trials of the folate supplement in autistic people; the first was suspended by regulators, and the other has yet to be published.
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The FDA wants to expand the use of leucovorin to treat autism traits, based on an analysis of the scientific research. @_TheTransmitter has obtained the list of 23 studies. By @claulopezneuro
https://t.co/GQu1fzr2Tx
thetransmitter.org
The studies include 46 people, mostly toddlers, who have cerebral folate deficiency due to variants in a folate transporter.
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“I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the list did not include multiple studies on why vaccines cause autism,” says Brian Lee about the newly awarded Autism Data Science Initiative projects. By @callimcflurry
https://t.co/NrlYddgyeH
thetransmitter.org
An atypical funding mechanism, short timeline and opaque review process had generated concern over the quality of projects that would be selected.
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Meet Richard Frye, whose research record on leucovorin traces the gulf between promise and proof. By @bborrell
https://t.co/gn5hoXcfEh
thetransmitter.org
Frye has led two placebo-controlled trials of the folate supplement in autistic people; the first was suspended by regulators, and the other has yet to be published.
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In August, U.K. software entrepreneur Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley died at age 91. The nation’s autism researchers and advocates remember the tech trailblazer for her philanthropic legacy. By @laur_insider
https://t.co/ep7PVLlBBr
thetransmitter.org
The late pioneer for remote work and women in tech is remembered by U.K. autism researchers and advocates for her support.
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Experts' concerns about yesterday's HHS announcement include the administration’s reliance on weak evidence rather than established research. https://t.co/VuMyqxNpvY
thetransmitter.org
Concerns include the administration’s reliance on weak, correlational evidence rather than established research.
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Long-read sequencing reveals novel autism-linked variants that short-read sequencing misses, according to two new preprints. By @natmesanash
https://t.co/7vo3SUVe2J
thetransmitter.org
Strips that are thousands of base pairs in length offer better resolution of structural variants and tandem repeats, according to two independent preprints.
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Explore our Early-Career Neuroscientists Resource Center—with news, expert insights, practical tools and more to help you navigate the field: https://t.co/2pGDMlELKW
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The link between autism and epilepsy has long been a mystery. A new mouse study suggests dysfunction in thalamocorticol circuits underlies both conditions. By Diana Kwon https://t.co/KDrhIwiflL
thetransmitter.org
The new work, in mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2, suggests a mechanism to help explain the overlap between epilepsy and autism.
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How is it that the same genes can influence the likelihood of multiple neuropsychiatric conditions? By @natmesanash
https://t.co/TWoiJkI6FS
thetransmitter.org
By contrast, varied doses of the same genes decrease or increase the odds of five other conditions, with distinct biological consequences, two new preprints show.
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Microglia nurture young GABAergic interneurons by secreting IGF-1, a new study shows. By @laschenk
https://t.co/h72I9aawkM
thetransmitter.org
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”…
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Grouping people with autism based on shared features, genetics and co-occurring conditions may improve clinical trial outcomes, researchers say. By @katiemoisse
https://t.co/LZy8K264NM
thetransmitter.org
Grouping people with autism based on shared features, genetics and co-occurring conditions may improve clinical trial outcomes, researchers say.
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Calling all PIs! @_TheTransmitter wants to understand the diverse funding sources that support your neuroscience research. Complete this survey and let us know: https://t.co/D1bqDHK21i
#Neuroscience
thetransmitter.org
We want to hear from you about the sources of funding for your research.
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More than a year after garnering pushback on social media for its methods, a study claiming prenatal COVID-19 vaccine exposure caused autism-like behaviors in rats has been retracted. By @martajhill
https://t.co/MQ3EMTuNRm
thetransmitter.org
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.
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