16 October 2012

A Newsletter from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

NEWS Mouse model links autism risk gene to mitochondria Common variants, en masse, may add up to strong autism risk

CONFERENCE NEWS: Society for Neuroscience 2012 Old mice may pass on 'epimutations' to offspring Catalog of mice cries aids quest to find their meaning Mouse studies point out limits of Rett syndrome treatment Mice mimic pain tolerance seen in Phelan-McDermid syndrome For more reports from the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, click here. VIEWPOINT A call for open-science approaches in autism research

IN BRIEF Clinical research: Maternal depression linked to mild autism Molecular mechanisms: Angelman region affects serotonin Cognition and behavior: Sensory sensitivity tied to autism

TOOLBOX 'Spiny mice' model risk of autism from maternal infection

BLOG Neuroscience in NOLA Telling tools

NEWS

Common variants, en masse, may add up to strong autism risk

Individually, common genetic variants confer little risk for autism. But taken together, they may contribute significantly, predicts a statistical analysis published 15 October in Molecular Autism.

Read More >

Mouse model links autism risk gene to mitochondria

A new mouse model provides the first molecular link between the known autism risk gene PTEN and the mitochondrial dysfunction sometimes seen in the disorder. Mice with half the normal amount of PTEN protein in their brains have social deficits reminiscent of autism and faulty mitochondria, according to a study published 10 August in PLoS One. Read More >

CONFERENCE NEWS: Society for Neuroscience 2012

Old mice may pass on 'epimutations' to offspring

The sperm of old mice has an unusual epigenome, the profile of chemical modifications to the underlying DNA code, according to a poster presented Saturday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans. The findings suggest an explanation for the so-called paternal age effect in autism. Read More >

Catalog of mice cries aids quest to find their meaning

One research team is cataloging the vocalizations of 1,000 different mice, and a second group is creating a tool that will allow researchers to distinguish calls made by several mice as they interact, according to two posters presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Read More >

Mouse studies point out limits of Rett syndrome treatment

Its easy to think of animal model studies as a stepping stone to pass over as soon as possible in favor of human studies of potential autism treatments, but two posters on Rett syndrome treatment presented Sunday afternoon at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans show why mouse work remains important even after clinical trials are underway. Read More >

Mice mimic pain tolerance seen in Phelan-McDermid syndrome

People with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, which causes severe intellectual disability and is often accompanied by autism, also have a blunted response to pain. New research on a mouse model of the syndrome, presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, aims to find out why.

Read More >

For more reports from the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, click here.

VIEWPOINT

A call for open-science approaches in autism research

Sharing data and tools is universally efficient, but the study of autism in particular presents challenges that can benefit from an open-science framework, says Randy Buckner.

Read More >

IN BRIEF

Clinical research: Maternal depression linked to mild autism

Women who have a history of bipolar disorder or depression are more likely to have a child with Asperger syndrome than classic autism, according to a study published in the 2012 issue of Autism Research and Treatment.

Read More >

Molecular mechanisms: Angelman region affects serotonin

Mice that model Angelman syndrome or have a duplication of the 15q11-13 chromosomal region have aberrant brain levels of the chemical messenger serotonin, according to a study published 16 August in PLoS One.

Read More >

Cognition and behavior: Sensory sensitivity tied to autism

An atypical response to sensory stimuli, such as smells and sounds, may be a core feature of autism, suggest two studies published in the past few months.

Read More >

TOOLBOX

'Spiny mice' model risk of autism from maternal infection

The so-called 'spiny mouse' species has a gestational period twice as long as that of typical laboratory mice. This makes them good models for studying the link between prenatal exposure and autism risk, according to a study published 29 August in Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

Read More >

BLOG

Neuroscience in NOLA
After nine long years, the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting is returning to New Orleans. And SFARI.org's reporters are ready to deliver the best advances in autism research that emerge.

Read More >

Telling tools
Which test a clinician uses to diagnose a child with autism may determine whether that child meets the criteria proposed in the newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Read More >

160 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010 646.654.0066 sfari.org