Motion picture: The software tracks points on a mouse’s body, from the nose to the tip of the tail, to automatically measure aspects of gait and posture. New software uses machine-learning to automatically detect and quantify gait and posture from videos of mice moving around their cage. The tool could accelerate research on how autism-linked […]
Subdued response: Organoids with microglia (bottom) show a lower interferon response (red) than organoids without microglia (top), suggesting that these immune cells help reduce cell stress. Adding non-neural brain cells called microglia to cortical organoids speeds up the rate of maturation of their neurons, increases the synchronization of their firing, and appears to reduce cellular […]
Brain Boost: Electrical stimulation of the fornix weakened abnormal inhibitory signals in mice with CDKL5 mutations and restored their performance in learning and memory tasks. Manjurul / iStock Chronic electrical stimulation of the fornix, a bundle of nerve fibers deep in the brain, saves learning and memory deficits in mice with mutations in the autism-linked […]
Talk time: fMRI images of several autism mouse models show different communication patterns between brain regions. Courtesy of Alessandro Gozzi Brain scans from 16 mouse models of autism reveal at least four different patterns of brain activity, a new study suggests. The results again support the popular notion that autism is associated with a number […]
Over the past two decades, some autism researchers have turned to simple animals such as roundworms, fruit flies, and zebrafish for their studies. Others sought answers from experiments with frogs, birds, and even octopuses. In this special report, we describe these discoveries and the impact of alternative animal models on autism research.
Friend Zone: Mice with autism-related mutations overcome their disinterest in other mice after receiving MDMA or an experimental serotonin agonist. Stuart Wilson / Science Source Two unapproved drugs that increase the neurotransmitter serotonin significantly increase sociability in six autism mouse models, according to a new study. The findings build on decades of work suggesting that […]
