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Article ID: 698781

Ashleigh Schaffer, PhD, assistant professor of genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and a team of global genetics experts have discovered a genetic mutation and the faulty development process it triggers, causing a debilitating brain-based disorder in children. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, identify mutations in the alpha-N-catenin gene, (aka CTNNA2), which promotes cell adhesion and causes pachygyria, one of the most serious developmental brain defects in humans. Most patients are severely intellectually impaired, and are unable to walk or care for themselves. Children diagnosed with the rare disease have a life expectancy of about 10 years.

Article ID: 698603

Scientists have designed a way to monitor cellular decision making by measuring the rate of RNA change over time. RNA is the “interpreter” or “decoder” of genetic instructions that tell cells how much of which protein to make. The new method is an algorithm that quantifies changes in various RNA markers—the molecular footprints of a cell’s past and present and an indicator of its future, providing clues about what the cell is trying to become. The approach sets the stage for understanding cellular behavior during human development and may offer a way to rapidly monitor how cells respond to medications and other treatments.

Article ID: 697765

Researchers have found a surprising way to help boost the skills of children with language impairment: Pay their parents to read to them.

Article ID: 697638

With more than $2 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a team at GW led by Chiara Manzini, PhD, will study the CC2D1A gene and its role in the development of autism in males versus females.

Article ID: 697590

A mother’s microbiome, the collection of microscopic organisms that live inside us, determines the risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in her offspring, new research from the UVA School of Medicine shows. The research suggests that we may be able to prevent autism just by altering an expectant mother's diet or by giving her custom probiotics.

Article ID: 697234

Researchers at the Institute for Autism Research (IAR) at Canisius College were awarded an $880,431 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), to fully fund a three-year study of the long-term beneficial impacts from an innovative school intervention for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) developed by the IAR research team.

Article ID: 696990

Exposing newborn mice to vaginal microbes from stressed female mice may transfer the effects of stress to the newborns, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. These changes resemble those seen specifically in the male offspring of moms that were stressed during pregnancy.

Article ID: 696992

Sex plays a role in hypertension, diabetes, arthritis – and in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. To better understand the molecular underpinnings of this disparity, Tracy Bale of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, along with several colleagues, focused on a molecule that plays a key role in placental health. In a study of mice, they found that the molecule, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) works by establishing sex-specific patterns of gene expression.

Article ID: 696818

Can a new mouse model provide essential insights into one type of autism spectrum disorder? UC Davis researchers hope their work yields new therapies for children.

Article ID: 696797

Special training for teachers may mean big results for students with autism spectrum disorder, according to Florida State University and Emory University researchers.