Tickle test: Sensory learning is altered in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new preprint. The investigators recorded neuronal activity in response to repeated whisker stimulation in the mice and observed hampered long-term potentiation—synaptic changes that underlie learning—in pyramidal neurons. The researchers speculate that these findings may reflect “a significant deterioration […]
Visual cues: Sensory neurons in the retina display altered structure and function in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, according to a new study. Retinal ganglion cells—homologous to primate ganglion cells—received more inhibitory input and were less responsive to light in mice lacking the gene FMR1 compared with the same cells in wildtype mice. […]
I wanted to update readers on your generosity at work. Here’s a photo of some of the supplies we’ve sent to Dr. Theresa Cianciolo in Vermont for Ukrainian orphans and families with special needs children. Thank you! The Amazon wish list seems to work well if you ignore the constant emails for other folks’ joining […]
Made to multitask: FMRP binds a different set of mRNAs near synapses than it does in the body of a neuron. FMRP, the protein associated with fragile X syndrome, binds different molecules depending on its location in neurons, according to a new study in mice. Fragile X syndrome, which often co-occurs with autism, is the […]
Place, place: Glutamate receptors in a rat model of Fragile X syndrome overlap with presynaptic markers at synapses in the amygdala (above), but not in the hippocampus (below). Activation of the activity of certain receptors in the amygdala reverses some features of Fragile X syndrome in a rat model of the disease, according to a […]
In June 2020, cannabidiol reached a well-known hurdle in Fragile X research: like many previous drug candidates, it missed its primary goal in clinical trials. Among 109 young people with Fragile X syndrome who took the drug and 101 who took a placebo, the researchers saw no significant difference in social avoidance ratings. However, a […]
Low protein: Shank2 protein levels (red) are decreased in cerebellar cells from mice lacking TSC1. Brain cells from the cerebellum of mice that model the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) show subdued protein levels, according to a new study. Levels of the affected proteins are controlled by FMRP, the protein that is lacking in people with […]
