SFN 2012

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Robotic tool profiles patterns of neurons

Researchers have launched a $4.3 million five-year collaborative effort to profile thousands of types of neurons in the brain, detailing their shape, signaling patterns and gene expression. The project was presented in a poster session Tuesday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Jessica Wright
19 October 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Movement patterns may distinguish autism subgroups

Analysis of the movement patterns of people with autism suggests a new approach to classifying the disorder, as well as opportunities for individualized treatment, according to research presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
19 October 2012 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Fragile X syndrome can be treated in adulthood

Activating the expression of FMR1, the gene mutated in fragile X syndrome, in adult mice reverses symptoms of the syndrome, according to a poster presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Jessica Wright
19 October 2012 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Cognitive test highlights flexibility deficits in autism

A new cognitive test demonstrates the difficulties people with autism have with flexible thinking, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
19 October 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Study implicates ‘pleasure circuit’ in Angelman syndrome

Mice that model Angelman syndrome, an autism-related disorder, are more motivated to earn rewards than controls are, according to unpublished results presented Wednesday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Virginia Hughes
18 October 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Imaging techniques capture real-world social interaction

Three new approaches to brain imaging, presented Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans, allow researchers to probe how the brain responds to social situations.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
18 October 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Researchers swing toward monkey models of autism

Researchers in Japan have completed the first step in creating transgenic monkey models of autism, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Virginia Hughes
18 October 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Prenatal antibodies boost brain stem cells in mice

Prenatal exposure to antibodies collected from the mothers of children with autism boosts stem cell proliferation in the brains of mice, according to two studies presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

By Emily Singer
18 October 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Stem cell study identifies early issues in Rett syndrome

Neural stem cells derived from people with Rett syndrome show early signs of dysfunction, according to unpublished research presented at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

By Emily Singer
17 October 2012 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Video: The importance of listening with the eyes

Eyes and ears work together to help us communicate with others. In a video interview with SFARI.org, Sophie Molholm explains that this process goes awry in children with autism.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
17 October 2012 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Photograph of the BRIDGE team and students visiting a laboratory.

Sharing Africa’s brain data: Q&A with Amadi Ihunwo

These data are “virtually mandatory” to advance neuroscience, says Ihunwo, a co-investigator of the Brain Research International Data Governance & Exchange (BRIDGE) initiative, which seeks to develop a global framework for sharing, using and protecting neuroscience data.

By Lauren Schenkman
20 May 2025 | 6 min read
Research image of neurite overgrowth in cells grown from people with autism-linked PPP2R5D variants.

Cortical structures in infants linked to future language skills; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 19 May.

By Jill Adams
20 May 2025 | 2 min read
Digitally distorted building blocks.

The BabyLM Challenge: In search of more efficient learning algorithms, researchers look to infants

A competition that trains language models on relatively small datasets of words, closer in size to what a child hears up to age 13, seeks solutions to some of the major challenges of today’s large language models.

By Alona Fyshe
19 May 2025 | 7 min read