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ASD

·March 16, 2020·4 min read

New research on brain structure highlights cells linked to Alzheimer’s and autism

Astrocytes are not uniform, as previously believed, but take distinct molecular forms depending on their location in the cerebral cortex. Astrocytes also organize in layers in similar ways to neurons.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 13, 2020·6 min read

Early behavioral marker for autism identified

15-month-old infants with an older sibling on the autism spectrum, and who experience social difficulties, such as insecure-resistant parental attachment, are more than nine times more likely to be diagnosed with ASD.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·March 12, 2020·4 min read

Specific gene can impact neurodevelopment, leading to autism and macrocephaly

Mutations of the RAB39b gene lead to macrocephaly and autism-like behaviors in mouse brain organoid models, and enlargements and impairments in human organoids.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 9, 2020·7 min read

The largest genetic map of psychiatric disorders so far

The largest genetic map of mental health disorders to date reveals there are three groups of highly genetically related disorders among eight psychiatric disorders. A gene related to nervous system development is a risk factor for all eight disorders studied. The RBFOX1 gene is implicated in seven of the eight disorders. ADHD and depression share 44% of genetic risk factors common in the general population. 109 pleiotropic loci affect more than one disorder. These pleiotropic loci are within genes that show heightened expression in the brain through the lifespan, beginning during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·March 5, 2020·5 min read

Understanding how the brain predicts could make treating autism easier

Understanding how the brain decides what it should pay attention to is key to understanding how prediction plays a tole in autism.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·March 4, 2020·4 min read

Researchers catalog dozens of mutations in crucial brain development gene

Researchers have identified 107 mutations in the RNA helicase DDX3X that cause cortical malformations in the developing brain. As the DDX3X gene is carried by the X chromosome, the associated developmental problems are more likely to occur in females. In severe cases, the functional changes in DDX3X resulted in a smaller or missing corpus callosum. Almost all of the mutations occurred de novo, meaning they happened during early development rather than being inherited from a parent. Researchers say the malfunction can now be considered to be a development disability syndrome.

This is the chemical structure of oxytocin

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 3, 2020·3 min read

Optimizing use of oxytocin to help those with social difficulties

Administering oxytocin via intravenous and nasal methods reduces regional blood flow to the amygdala.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·March 2, 2020·4 min read

Could targeting an Alzheimer’s-associated protein prevent Autism?

Reducing levels of the Alzheimer's related Tau protein prevents autism-like behaviors in mouse models. Tau reduction also prevented seizures in the animals.

Auditory Neuroscience Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·March 2, 2020·5 min read

Why those on the autism spectrum are often hypersensitive to light and noise

Mice lacking the autism-associated SHANK3 gene were more sensitive to sensation, including touch. The mice also had overactive excitatory neurons in the somatosensory cortex, which may account for sensory hypersensitivity.

This shows a drawing of a brain and a hand

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 21, 2020·4 min read

Abnormally low levels of a key protein in brains of young men with autism

Males on the autism spectrum have significantly lower levels of a protein in their brains' that plays a role in inflammation and metabolism.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 20, 2020·4 min read

Baby’s Kicks Provide Clues About Infant Development

Human-robot interaction and monitoring motor movement may provide clues to developmental disorders such as ADHD and autism in children.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 20, 2020·4 min read

Some antibiotics prescribed during pregnancy linked to health disorders

Mothers who were prescribed macrolide antibiotics, including erythromycin and azithromycin, early in pregnancy had an increased risk of their child being born with malformations, specifically cardiovascular malformations. However, researchers found no link between exposure to these antibiotics and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.