SFARI NEWS

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26 June 2012

A Newsletter from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

NEWS SHANK2 mouse models show opposite brain signaling Rett protein in adult brain key for survival VIEWPOINT Focus on function may help unravel autism's complex genetics GUEST BLOG Alison Singer: The case for brain donation IN BRIEF Clinical research: Fever during pregnancy linked to autism Molecular mechanisms: Alzheimer's protein linked to autism Cognition and behavior: Context affects repetitive behavior TOOLBOX Whole-brain circuits light up in fish brains BLOG Drug merger Epigenetic age

NEWS

SHANK2 mouse models show opposite brain signaling

Two new strains of mice carrying different mutations in the SHANK2 gene show similar autism-like behaviors but opposing effects on brain signaling, according to two independent studies published 14 June in Nature.

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Rett protein in adult brain key for survival

The gene missing or mutated in Rett syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is critical for the survival of adult mice, according to a study published 31 May in Human Molecular Genetics.

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VIEWPOINT

Focus on function may help unravel autism's complex genetics

To find the pathogenic mutations in complex disorders such as autism, researchers may need to conduct sophisticated analyses of the genetic functions that are disrupted, says geneticist Aravinda Chakravarti.

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GUEST BLOG

Alison Singer: The case for brain donation

We can't get back the tissue lost in the Harvard freezer malfunction, but we can try to create something positive from this tragic event, says Alison Singer.

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IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Fever during pregnancy linked to autism

An untreated fever during pregnancy more than doubles the risk that the child will develop autism, according to a study published 5 May in the Journal of

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Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Molecular mechanisms: Alzheimer's protein linked to autism

Amyloid-beta, the small protein that forms plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, is more prevalent in postmortem brains from individuals with autism than in those from controls, according to a study published 2 May in PLoS One.

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Cognition and behavior: Context affects repetitive behavior

Repetitive behaviors are often motivated by anxiety when children with autism and intellectual disability transition from one task to the next, but they are linked to a desire for attention when the children have free time, according to a study published in May in the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. Read More >

TOOLBOX

Whole-brain circuits light up in fish brains

A new approach allows researchers to visualize individual neurons in the small, clear brains of larval zebrafish as they interact with their surroundings, according to a study published 9 May in Nature.

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BLOG

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Drug merger
Seaside Therapeutics, a small biotech, and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche have announced a partnership to develop drugs for fragile X syndrome and autism.

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Epigenetic age
Normal aging triggers dramatic changes to the epigenome, the set of chemical tags that turn genes on and off, according to a new study.

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