Catherine Dulac and her collaborators identified a population of cells in the hypothalamus that generate fever and influence the activity of brain areas associated with behavior during sickness, with implications for the effects of fever on social behavior in autism.
New phenotypic data from Simons Searchlight participants were recently added to SFARI Base. This release includes data from individuals with 59 gene changes and nine copy number variants known to be connected to autism.
This issue of the SFARI newsletter includes: (1) Analysis of Autism BrainNet postmortem brain tissue RFA: awardees announced, (2) RNA-seq data from Simons Simplex Collection now available, (3) SFARI supports 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Program, (4) SFARI Investigators elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and National Academy of Sciences in 2022, (5) SFARI workshop explores mitochondrial dysfunction in autism, (6) In search of causality: From neuropsychiatric genetics to pathophysiology, (7) Highlights of SFARI-funded research, (8) 2022 Genomics of ASD: Pathways to Biological Convergence and Genetic Therapies – Request for applications, (9) SFARI Supplement to Enhance Equity and Diversity (SEED) — Request for applications, (10) Webinar: Psychiatric hospitalization for serious emotional and behavioral challenges in autism, (11) Researchers using Simons Searchlight data.
So Hyun Kim, Catherine Lord and colleagues developed a new telehealth approach to autism assessment — the Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) — for use during COVID-19 and beyond.
Daniel Geschwind and colleagues showed that Cntnap2 knockout mice exhibit alterations in brain-wide connectivity related to social behaviors and that oxytocin within the nucleus accumbens regulates changes in connectivity.
SFARI is pleased to announce that it intends to fund four grants in response to the request for applications (RFA) focused on the analysis of postmortem brain tissue from the Autism BrainNet collection.
SFARI is pleased to support the Summer Undergraduate Research Program in 2022, working with SFARI Investigators and leading U.S. universities to help provide opportunities for undergraduate students to gain research experience in autism science.
Helen Bateup and colleagues showed that a loss of Tsc1 from striatal direct pathway neurons altered synaptic function and enhanced motor routine learning in mice. These findings suggest that changes in select types of striatal neurons may underlie altered motor behaviors in individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex and autism.
Yufeng Cheng, Wendy Chung, Chang “April” Shu and their colleagues used machine-learning models to develop a method for large-scale studies to estimate cognitive ability in individuals with autism for whom formal IQ tests are not available.
On March 25 and 28, 2022 SFARI hosted a workshop to explore the role of mitochondria in ASD risk. The workshop brought together experts in mitochondrial research spanning cellular, molecular, genetic, clinical and pharmacological areas and provided points for discussion on how to move this research forward.