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21 August 2012 A Newsletter from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

NEWS

Researchers probe source of language impairment in autism

Bone marrow transplant curbs autism symptoms in mice

VIEWPOINT

Genes and environment are two-way street in autism risk

IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Autism common in rare syndrome

Molecular mechanisms: Rett protein loss shrinks adult brains

Cognition and behavior: Serotonin may alter emotion response

TOOLBOX

Researchers recreate blood-brain barrier in dish

BLOG

Broken mirrors

Missed patterns

NEWS

Researchers probe source of language impairment in autism

For nearly two decades, scientists have debated the relationship between

language problems, seen in about half of children with autism, and another

disorder called specific language impairment. Three papers published in the

past several months attempt to resolve this debate, but their findings suggest

that it is far from settled.

Read More >

Bone marrow transplant curbs autism symptoms in mice

An altered immune system can cause autism-like behaviors, suggests a study

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published 31 July in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The

researchers found that a bone marrow transplant, which restores the animals'

immune system, alleviates their anxiety and repetitive behavior.

Read More >

VIEWPOINT

Genes and environment are two-way street in autism risk

Genes and the environment each influence the role of the other in determining

the risk of developing autism. Genetics can determine how susceptible one is to

the environment, and environmental factors can influence gene expression and

introduce mutations, says immunologist Janine LaSalle.

Read More >

IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Autism common in rare syndrome

About 40 percent of individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a rare

genetic disorder, also have autism, according to a study published in the

August issue of theAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics Part A.

Read More >

Molecular mechanisms: Rett protein loss shrinks adult brains

Deleting the Rett syndrome gene from mature mouse brains leads to the same

neurological and behavioral symptoms as deleting it during a keydevelopmental stage, according to a study published 18 July in theJournal of

Neuroscience.

Read More >


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Cognition and behavior: Serotonin may alter emotion response

Lowering blood levels of the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the

chemical messenger serotonin, changes how the autism brain responds to

emotions, according to a report published 4 June inPLoS One.

Read More >

TOOLBOX

Researchers recreate blood-brain barrier in dish

Using a two-step process to reprogram human stem cells, researchers haverecreated the barrier that protects the brain from toxic molecules, according to

a study published 24 June inNature Biotechnology.

Read More >

BLOG

Broken mirrors

Research into the ability of children with autism to imitate has produced

contradictory results: Some studies find that those with the disorder have

difficulty imitating people, whereas others find no problems. A new study

explores why.

Read More >

Missed patterns

The assumption in some published overviews of autism tends to be that all of

the problems relevant to the disorder can be found at synapses, the junctions

between neurons. But it's difficult not to notice the striking number of

chromatin-associated genes that have emerged as candidate risk factors over


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the past few months.

Read More >

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