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Can animals be autistic?

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The answer is obviously “no”, however, animal models are necessary to help understand brain circuitry and improve interventions and supports for not just core symptoms but associated issues like anxiety, OCD, seizures and GI issues. Scientists view behaviors consistent with an ASD diagnosis differently, and this has created some problems in interpretation of animal model data. This week’s #ASFpodcast will break down a recent paper in Genes, Brain and Behavior which addresses inconsistencies in the literature and makes recommendations on how researchers should shift how they think about how they can replicate features of ASD in a model system.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35285132/

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You asked, we answered: what is the connection between the ‘gut’ and the brain?

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On this week’s podcast, we answer your question: “what’s the evidence of a gut-brain connection”? We can’t answer that question without starting off with a description of the microbiome. The microbiome is the colony of organisms in your gastrointestinal system that is showing increasing evidence of influencing brain function. We asked three experts: Calliope Holingue from JHSPH, Helen Vuong from UCLA and Stewart Campbell of Axial Therapeutics what is happening in research around the microbiome in autism, and what therapeutics are being developed to help those with GI issues and ASD.

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Autism treatments are not the same, even in animals

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This week the media over-hyped a publication on a potential link between Alzheimer’s and Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, this new study did identify a new treatment target for some forms of ASD. Not all forms, but some forms. Not all forms of ASD have the same underlying neurobiology and while one treatment may help a larger group of people with ASD, they also may not. This week’s podcast explores potential treatment targets in 3 different animal models of ASD. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32126198https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32123378
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Reusing and recycling autism data from brain tissue

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In a new study in animal models, researchers demonstrate how genetic variability in key risk genes leads to different brain development patterns.  Studying the brains of people with autism is challenging, since there are fewer resources to study.  However, scientists get creative and collaborative and re-analyze datasets previously published to look at different research questions.  That’s what happened this week in a collaboration between Brown University and UCLA, showing that as the activity of genes which controls the synapse goes down, so do genes affecting mitochondrial function.  Another brain tissue study showed that the stress of the endoplasmic reticulum, which is associated with the mitochondria, may be elevated.  Not all research data can be re-purposed again, which is why it is so important to study the brains of people with autism.  If you would like to learn more, go to www.takesbrains.org/signup

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29859039

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29761862

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29901787

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29926239

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Your taxpayer dollars at work in the Autism Centers for Excellence Awards

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About two weeks ago, the National Institute of Health announced part of the government’s commitment to autism research through the ACE projects, or Autism Centers for Excellence.  Highly competitive and intensely scrutinized, these 5 year projects all investigates areas of autism aimed at helping people with ASD and their families.  This week’s podcast summaries them, discusses how they interact and complement each other, and explains how they are going to affect the lives of people with autism.

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Chromosome 15-apallooza

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One of areas of genetic interest of autism is a region of chromosome 15.  Only about 3% of people with autism have the mutation, but 80% of those with the mutation have autism.  It is so important that people with duplications of this area have formed their own advocacy group called the Dup15 Alliance.  I was honored to attend their family an scientific meeting and give a summary of what scientists have learned about autism through studying this chromosome, how kids with this mutation and autism are similar and different from those with autism but not the mutation, how the families are managing life threatening seizures, what the gene does, what the brains look like, and how mutations of this chromosome do in fact interact with the environment.  Thank you to the scientists who study this area and the very brave, selfless and amazing parents who I talked to.