Autism in old age, and more

Seniors research: A news feature in Nature explores autism in older adults, documenting the paucity of research in this area. The article reviews the condition’s links to age-related diagnoses such as heart disease, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, and highlights more recent research on short- and long-term memory, the physical and psychological aspects of menopause, and blood markers. The Transmitter has covered aging in autism in the past, including age-related social problems such as poverty and homelessness, and alterations in brain structure in this population. 

Autism research spotted this week: 

• “Altered brain structure in an ATRX-deficient mouse model of autism spectrum disorder” Autism Research

• “A novel spliceosomopathy caused by de novo SF3B3 variants” Genome Medicine
• “Shared and distinct phenotypic profiles among neurodevelopmental disorder genes” medRxiv
• “Estradiol modulates neuronal network hyperexcitability in select NDD risk genes” bioRxiv
• “FDA launches framework for accelerating development of individualized therapies for ultra-rare diseases” fda.gov