Archives for the month of: November, 2008
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MicroRNAs May Play a Role in Autism

November 26, 2008 //
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Some small fragments of RNA are expressed differently in people with autism than in controls, according to two new studies. The findings unveil another layer of complexity in the genetics of autism.

These pieces of single-stranded RNA ― dubbed microRNAs or miRNAs ― have wide-ranging, subtle effects on the production of many different proteins without affecting a cell’s underlying DNA code.

That may account for some of the widespread variation among people with autism, and even among family members who share genes, experts say.

“It’s possible that microRNAs can have some kind of regulatory role over multiple targets and affect them a little bit differently in different people,” says Kenneth Kosik, co-director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Read more at…

SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Genetics, Health and Medicine, News, SFARI

Size of Infant’s Amygdala Predicts Language Ability

November 21, 2008 //
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A child’s language ability correlates with the volume of his or her amygdala ― the small, deep brain region that is strongly associated with emotion processing ― according to an unpublished five-year longitudinal study presented Wednesday afternoon at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Analyzing brain imaging data collected from 24 infants at 6 months of age, researchers at Rutgers University found that the larger the volume of the right amygdala, the lower the babies score on language tests given at 2, 3, and 4 years of age. The researchers found the inverse to be true of the left amygdala, but not to statistical significance.

Based on these results and previous studies, the researchers speculate that during early development, neuronal connections are strengthened between the amygdala and known language processing centers in the brain. Because children with autism have impaired social interaction, these connections may be disrupted, the researchers say.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Brain Science, Conference Coverage, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN

New Chromosomal Culprits

November 20, 2008 //
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The latest of many full genome scans of large groups of people with and without autism has identified two new chromosomal regions associated with the disorder. The findings were unveiled last week at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting in Philadelphia.

The regions, one on chromosome 6 and one on chromosome 20, had never before been implicated in autism. The samples came from 800 families in the AGRE collection, a gene bank of thousands of families in which at least two children have autism.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Conference Coverage, Genetics, Health and Medicine, SFARI

MicroRNAs in Mental Illness

November 19, 2008 //
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Some small fragments of RNA, called microRNAs, are under-expressed in people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared with controls, according to unpublished research based on postmortem brain tissue presented this morning at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Brain Science, Conference Coverage, Genetics, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN

Lithium’s Effect on Fragile X Mice

November 18, 2008 //
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Lithium treatment reverses some of the behavioral and brain-cell abnormalities in mouse models of fragile X syndrome ― an inherited form of mental retardation that includes learning deficits, aggressiveness, and social withdrawal ― according to research presented today at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Doctors have for about 50 years prescribed lithium salts for mood problems, such as bipolar disorder. Three years ago, scientists found that lithium reduces memory deficits and repairs neuronal defects in a Drosophila model of fragile X.

In August, an open-label clinical trial of two months of lithium treatment of 15 people with fragile X found that the chemical alleviates irritability, inappropriate speech and aggressive behavior.

The results presented at the conference are the first to investigate the effect on brain cells of mouse models of the disorder, according to Zhong-Hua Liu, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health who presented the data.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Brain Science, Business and Technology, Conference Coverage, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN

‘Optogenetics’ Sheds Light on Role of Different Neurons

November 18, 2008 //
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For decades, those who study brain cell activity have faced a fundamental trade off: either closely monitor the activity of a single cell or look at the circuit level to see how large groups of neurons communicate with each other.

A new technique, optogenetics, makes it possible to study both the micro and the macro levels of brain activity.

The technique allows scientists to stimulate activity in specific types of neurons with light, rather than with invasive metal electrodes.

Stanford University bioengineer Karl Deisseroth, who has used optogenetics in live mouse models since 2007, described the technique Saturday morning at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Brain Science, Business and Technology, Genetics, Health and Medicine, News, SFARI, SfN

Creating Stem Cells to Study Autism

November 18, 2008 //
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A team of scientists is reprogramming adult stem cells generated from tiny skin samples of people with autism to form nerve cells, creating a powerful research tool for the disorder.

Exposed to the correct transcription proteins, skin cells can transform into pluripotent stem cells ― which, in turn, can be prompted to differentiate into any kind of cell in the body, including neurons.

Working with the nerve cells may help scientists study various aspects of the disorder, including potential imbalances in excitatory and inhibitory signaling, defects in synapse formation or any problems with cell division.

“We’re starting with the idea that there are a limited set of cellular processes that are altered in kids with autism,” says lead investigator Ricardo Dolmetsch, an assistant professor of molecular pharmacology at Stanford University. “All of that we can study in a dish.”

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Brain Science, Conference Coverage, Genetics, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN

Clinical Trial Planned for Rett Syndrome Treatment

November 18, 2008 //
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Treatment with the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) greatly improves the health of mouse models of Rett syndrome ― a regressive genetic disorder that causes mental retardation, respiratory problems, and autistic features ― according to unpublished researched presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to the success of these animal experiments, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston are setting up a clinical trial to test whether IGF can improve the breathing of 30 pre-adolescent girls with Rett syndrome.

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SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Business and Technology, Conference Coverage, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN

A Simple Behavioral Test for Mice

November 17, 2008 //
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Researchers at the Society for Neuroscience today described a new test for animal behavior that doesn’t interfere with normal mouse behavior, doesn’t require human interaction, and makes it simple to take long-term measurements: the ‘licking test’.

Best of all, the new test seems to differentiate between two models of Angelman syndrome that are indistinguishable by other behavioral tests.

Read more at…

SFARI, November 2008.

Categories 2008, Autism, Conference Coverage, Health and Medicine, SFARI, SfN
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