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21 February 2012

A Newsletter from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

NEWS Infants who develop autism show distinct brain connectivity Human neuron model tests function of autism-linked genes VIEWPOINT Maternal anti-brain antibodies may play a role in autism IN BRIEF Clinical research: Rates of autism rise based on birth year Cognition and behavior: MEG detects sound sensitivity Genetics: Autism, Tourette syndrome genes overlap TOOLBOX Researchers chart 3D structure of fruit fly chromosomes BLOG Robot renaissance Brain game

NEWS

Infants who develop autism show distinct brain connectivity

The development of white matter tracts, the nerve bundles that join one brain region to another, is different in babies who go on to develop autism compared with those who do not, according to a study published 17 February in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

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Human neuron model tests function of autism-linked genes

Simulating neuronal development in culture with cells derived from human brain tissue offers a new way to study the function of autism-linked genes,

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according to research published in the February issue of Molecular Psychiatry.

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VIEWPOINT

Maternal anti-brain antibodies may play a role in autism

Maternal antibodies that attack fetal brain proteins could underlie some cases of autism, says immunologist Betty Diamond.

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IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Rates of autism rise based on birth year

The likelihood of being diagnosed with autism has increased for children born each year since 1994, especially for individuals at the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum, reports a study published 7 December in The International Journal of Epidemiology.

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Cognition and behavior: MEG detects sound sensitivity

Brain imaging can detect acute sensitivity to sound in individuals with autism, according to a study published 25 January in Neurophysiology.

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Genetics: Autism, Tourette syndrome genes overlap

Genes implicated in Tourette syndrome overlap with those involved in autism, according to an analysis of rare DNA duplications and deletions in people with the disorder, published in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry.

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TOOLBOX

Researchers chart 3D structure of fruit fly chromosomes

A new study reveals the three-dimensional structure of fruit fly chromosomes, which groups together active and inactive genes. The results were published 3 February in Cell.

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BLOG

Robot renaissance
Engineers have debuted several new robots to help children with autism, including a boy that can sense when it's touched, a female head that expresses a wide range of emotions and a low-cost fuzzy penguin that can track a child's eye movements.

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Brain game
A new website invites the public to help map the 'connectome,' the pattern of connections among all the neurons in our brain.

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