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20 March 2012

A Newsletter from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

NEWS Bone marrow transplant alleviates Rett symptoms in mice Imaging study reveals insula disruption in Williams syndrome VIEWPOINT How do we measure autism severity? IN BRIEF Clinical research: Joint attention can predict autism outcome Cognition and behavior: Brain changes tied to autism severity Genetics: Autism linked to two mutations in same gene TOOLBOX Autism mutations lead to scores of symptoms in rodents BLOG Incidental findings Tummy troubles

NEWS

Bone marrow transplant alleviates Rett symptoms in mice

A bone marrow transplant from healthy mice to those lacking the MeCP2 protein, which causes Rett syndrome, extends lifespan and alleviates symptoms of the disorder, according to research published online 18 March in Nature.

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Imaging study reveals insula disruption in Williams syndrome

A detailed brain imaging study of people with Williams syndrome, a

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developmental disorder characterized by a highly sociable personality, has found a series of structural, functional and connectivity deficits that converge on a part of the brain called the insula. The findings were published online 12 March in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read More >

VIEWPOINT

How do we measure autism severity?

Accurately measuring the severity of autism remains a challenge for the field. The answer may lie in using more than one approach that varies depending on whether it is being applied in a clinical or research context, says Raphael Bernier.

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IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Joint attention can predict autism outcome

How easy it is to engage the attention of a child with autism by gazing or pointing at an object may predict how well he or she will be able to function as an adult, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Cognition and behavior: Brain changes tied to autism severity

Adults with autism have regional differences in brain volume in areas that play a role in social behavior and communication compared with controls, according to a large study published in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. The differences correlate with the severity of autism symptoms, the study also shows. Read More >

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Genetics: Autism linked to two mutations in same gene

Two mutations in an autism-associated gene, neurexin-1, may have combined to cause autism in one man, whereas family members with only one of the two mutations have other neurological disorders, according to a study published 15 February in the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B.

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TOOLBOX

Autism mutations lead to scores of symptoms in rodents

Mutations in more than 100 autism-associated genes lead to shared neurobiological deficits in mice, including alterations in the shape of their brains and changes to the electrical properties of neurons, according to a study published 20 February in Molecular Autism.

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BLOG

Incidental findings
A survey asks clinical geneticists what type of incidental findings should be returned to people who have their genomes sequenced.

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Tummy troubles
A new study suggests that children with both autism and gastrointestinal disorders have poorer language and social skills than those with autism alone.

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