SHANK3

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SHANK3

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 2, 2020·6 min read

Guilt by Dissociation: The Role of Serotonin in Autism

SERT Ala56 impacts the structure of the SERT protein cells, increasing the activity of the transporter to abnormally high levels. The high-activity state results in the removal of too much serotonin from brain sites where serotonin is needed, both during development and in adults. Read More

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 27, 2020·5 min read

Lithium may treat behavior linked to autism gene

Findings support the idea that lithium, a drug more commonly associated with the treatment of bipolar disorder, may help treat those with SHANK3 related autism. Read More

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. Read More

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 1, 2020·7 min read

Study may explain how infections reduce autism symptoms

Immune molecules produced during infection influence the social behaviors of mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. The findings may shed light on why some children on the autism spectrum experience a temporary reduction in behavioral symptoms when they have a fever. Read More

This shows synapses images as part of this study

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 29, 2019·5 min read

Technique can image individual proteins within synapses

A new rapid imaging technique allows researchers to view synaptic proteins at high resolution. Read More

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2019·6 min read

Decoding touch: Potential therapy for abnormal touch sensitivity in autism spectrum disorders

Isoguavacine, an old experimental compound which exclusively targets peripheral neurons, mitigates abnormal touch sensitivity in mouse models of ASD. The compound also improved body mass, reduces anxiety, and in one genetic subset of mice, prevented the development of brain abnormalities that arise from altered touch response. Read More

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·July 26, 2019·3 min read

Brain region linked to altered social interactions in autism model

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a critical role in regulating social behaviors. In mouse models of ASD, dysfunction in the ACC was linked to social impairments associated with the disorder. Read More

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 12, 2019·7 min read

Using gene editing, neuroscientists develop a new model for autism

Using CRISPR gene editing, researchers introduce the SHANK3 gene variant into macaque monkeys. SHANK3 has previously been linked to autism in humans. The monkeys with the SHANK3 mutations exhibited behavioral traits and brain activity patterns similar to those seen in humans on the autism spectrum, Researchers hope the new model will facilitate new avenues of research for ASD. Read More

These are fmri scans of the female mice brains lacking shank3

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 7, 2019·2 min read

Autism gene linked to brain and behavior deficits in mice

A deficiency of the SHANK3 gene, a gene associated with ASD, results in structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex. The functional and structural alterations in the PFC were linked to an impairment in social interaction in male mice. Read More

This showa a child looking at a DNA strand

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 29, 2019·5 min read

Study links gene to sleep problems in autism

Deficiencies in the SHANK3 gene have been linked to sleep disruptions in both mouse models and people with ASD. Researchers found patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a genetic disorder associated with autism, report trouble falling, and staying asleep. In mouse models, animals lacking the SHANK3 gene had a reduction in deep sleep quality and spent more time awake when other mice were sleeping. Read More

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 9, 2018·4 min read

Autism Associated with Zinc Deficiency in Early Development

A new study reveals a mechanistic link between zinc levels in fetal development, genes and abnormal neural connections associated with autism. Read More

Autism Featured Genetics

·February 16, 2018·5 min read

Lab Grown Human Cerebellar Cells Yield Clues to Autism

Researchers have derived purkinje cells from patients with TSC, a genetic syndrome that includes some ASD-like symptoms. The cells, researchers say, have several characteristics that could help explain how ASD develops at the molecular level. Read More

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