SHANK2

Recent articles

Mouse brain slices showing the effects of SHANK2 and SHANK3 deletions.

Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit’s social role

Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.

By Angie Voyles Askham
19 October 2022 | 5 min read
A family of Macaques aat the Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station, Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Macaques’ social skills tied to variation in autism-linked genes

Genetics strongly influences some aspects of the monkey’s social behavior, including tendencies to solicit grooming and sit or play alone.

By Chloe Williams
7 March 2022 | 5 min read
Oil and water with colors behind: blue, green, yellow and red.

How microscopic ‘condensates’ in cells might contribute to autism

A controversial idea about how cells compartmentalize their contents into droplets — like beads of oil in water — could be key to understanding autism, says Julie Forman-Kay.

By Angie Voyles Askham
23 February 2021 | 7 min read

Mechanical tracker measures social activity of multiple mice for days

A new system enables researchers to automatically track the social behavior of up to four mice for days at a time.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
28 June 2019 | 2 min read
grid of lab grown neurons

New method creates uniform cultures of lab-grown neurons

A new technique leads to neuron cultures of consistent quality, enabling scientists to study how autism mutations alter neurons.

By Chloe Williams
16 May 2019 | 2 min read

Rats with mutant SHANK genes show autism-like behaviors

Researchers have engineered two new rats with mutations in a family of genes that function at neuronal junctions, they reported today at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
16 February 2017 | 4 min read

Neighboring mutations in gene may spawn separate conditions

Two seemingly similar mutations in the SHANK3 gene have divergent effects on the brain and behavior.

By Jessica Wright
25 January 2016 | 4 min read

Small snippets of genes may have big effects in autism

Small pieces of DNA within genes, dubbed ‘microexons,’ are abnormally regulated in people with autism, suggests a study of postmortem brains.

By Kate Yandell
22 January 2015 | 5 min read

Family of autism-linked proteins helps neurons communicate

The SHANK family of proteins, some of which are strong autism candidates, work together to facilitate brain signaling, according to unpublished results presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

By Jessica Wright
16 November 2014 | 3 min read

SHANK3 mutations turn up in high proportion of autism cases

About 2 percent of people who have both autism and intellectual disability carry harmful mutations in SHANK3, a protein that helps organize the connections between neurons, according to a study published 4 September in PLoS Genetics.

By Jessica Wright
18 September 2014 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Double-duty neurons in primary olfactory cortex pick up on more than just scent

The cells recognize not only odors, such as bananas and black licorice—but also images and words associated with those smells, according to single-neuron recordings from 17 people.

By Angie Voyles Askham
9 October 2024 | 7 min read

How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan

The artistic approach can help explain complex ideas frame by frame without diluting the science, Rajan says.

By Olivia Gieger
9 October 2024 | 7 min read

Former Columbia University psychiatrist committed research misconduct, says federal watchdog

Bret Rutherford, whose research was halted following a suicide in a clinical trial, falsely reported participant eligibility, according to the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.

By Brendan Borrell, Ellie Kincaid
8 October 2024 | 3 min read