ANK2

Recent articles

A research image of neuronal dendrites in mice.

Top autism-linked genes join forces to shape synaptic plasticity

The protein products of ANK2 and SCN2A interact to regulate dendritic excitability.

By Holly Barker
29 January 2024 | 5 min read

Fishing for protein partners nets clues to autism

Connections between 13 autism-linked proteins and their binding partners in excitatory neurons implicate a new molecular pathway.

By Holly Barker
6 February 2023 | 5 min read

Dispatches from SfN 2021: Mitochondria, Rett therapy and oxytocin

These short reports from Spectrum journalists highlight some of the autism-related findings that caught our attention at the meeting this past week.

By Angie Voyles Askham, Laura Dattaro, Anna Goshua, Peter Hess
11 November 2021 | 9 min read
Neurons in red and green

‘Neurons on a chip’ reveal patterns across autism-linked conditions

Activity patterns of neuronal networks link different genetic subtypes of autism that have similar traits, according to new unpublished research.

By Angie Voyles Askham
7 May 2021 | 3 min read

Mutations in frogs point to autism genes’ shared role in neurogenesis

Mutations in any of 10 autism-linked genes in frogs lead to the same overabundance of brain cells that develop into neurons; the sex hormone estrogen lowers this excess.

By Laura Dattaro
10 February 2021 | 6 min read
Gut neurons and glia (red, green) are fragile and interwoven with other cells (blue) in the colon, making them tricky to isolate.

Cell maps reveal diversity of neurons in gut

An atlas that details gene expression in neurons and other cells from the intestines of mice and people may help to elucidate the link between gut problems and autism.

By Chloe Williams
21 October 2020 | 3 min read

Mice reveal how top autism gene may disrupt brain structure

Mutations in an autism gene called ANK2 may alter brain wiring by causing the growth of excess neuronal connections.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
26 August 2019 | 4 min read
A boy toddler learns to walk with an adult holding his hands.

Some ‘autism genes’ show stronger ties to related conditions

The largest autism sequencing study to date implicates 99 genes in the condition — but nearly half have a tighter link to intellectual disability or developmental delay.

By Jessica Wright
17 October 2018 | 3 min read
three mice with one in the spotlight

‘Retired’ mice find new life as top models for autism

As the list of autism candidate genes grows, some mouse models of the genes turn up in long-forgotten studies.

By Jessica Wright
25 January 2018 | 6 min read

Brain’s bridge could yield clues to faulty wiring in autism

Decoding distortions in the brain’s largest nerve tract could lay bare basic problems with long-range neural connections in autism.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
27 February 2017 | 1 min watch

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of a fiber optic implant in a mouse brain.

Bespoke photometry system captures variety of dopamine signals in mice

The tool tracks the excitation of an engineered protein that senses dopamine’s absolute levels, including fast and slow fluctuations in real time, and offers new insights into how the signals change across the brain.

By Sydney Wyatt
21 March 2025 | 5 min read
Cognitive neuroscientist Nick Turk-Browne helps an infant into an fMRI machine.

What infant fMRI is revealing about the developing mind

Cognitive neuroscientists have finally clocked how to perform task-based functional MRI experiments in awake babies—long known for their inability to lie still or take direction. Next, they aim to watch cognition take shape and settle a debate about our earliest memories—with one group publishing a big clue today.

By Calli McMurray
20 March 2025 | 12 min read
A mouse sits on a gloved hand.

Molecular changes after MECP2 loss may drive Rett syndrome traits

Knocking out the gene in adult mice triggered up- and down-regulated expression of myriad genes weeks before there were changes in neuronal function.

By Chloe Williams
20 March 2025 | 5 min read