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patterns of neuronal networks link different genetic subtypes of autism that have similar traits, according to new unpublished research.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

Autism prevalence increasing in children, adults, according to electronic medical records

The uptick from 2011 to 2022 in the United States underscores a need for more services and research, the investigators say.

By Shaena Montanari
21 November 2024 | 2 min read

Immune cell interlopers breach—and repair—brain barrier in mice

The choroid plexus, the protective network of blood vessels and epithelial cells that line the brain’s ventricles, recruits neutrophils and macrophages during inflammation, a new study shows.

By Claudia López Lloreda
20 November 2024 | 6 min read

Expanding set of viral tools targets almost any brain cell type

Harmless viruses that encase short noncoding DNA elements called enhancers enable cell-type-specific gene delivery across the central nervous system in rodents and primates.

By Holly Barker
19 November 2024 | 2 min watch