SHANK1

Recent articles

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

The treasures of monkey island

On Cayo Santiago island, scientists track the alliances and power struggles of a colony of feral monkeys — collecting data to generate new insights into the social challenges that people with autism face.

By Brendan Borrell
22 June 2016 | 23 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

Rodent learning sheds light on missed social cues in autism

Many people with autism have trouble interpreting and responding to social cues. Studying how rats learn from each other can provide insights into the human social brain, says Amiel Rosenkranz.

By Amiel Rosenkranz
28 July 2015 | 9 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of proteins, some of which are strong autism candidates, work together to facilitate brain signaling, according to unpublished results presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.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

Drug fixes cellular defects in autism-related disorder

A new stem-cell model of Phelan-McDermid syndrome points to a possible treatment for the rare autism-related disorder, according to a study published in Nature.

By Virginia Hughes
2 December 2013 | 5 min read

Where will the focus on SHANK genes lead?

Geneticists react to discoveries and identify next steps for one of autism’s most promising candidate genes.

By Greg Boustead
11 November 2013 | 5 min read

SHANK mutations converge at neuronal junctions in autism

SHANK3, one of the strongest candidate genes for autism, has the potential to be a molecular entry point into understanding the synaptic, developmental and circuit origins of the disorder.  

By Meera Modi, Michael Ehlers
5 November 2013 | 6 min read

Risk factors

To focus the search for environmental risk factors in autism, we should look for chemicals that influence the molecular pathways associated with candidate risk genes, say Pamela Lein and Marianna Stamou.

By Pamela Lein, Marianna Stamou
26 February 2013 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a shrew, sandpiper, locust, axolotl, monarch butterfly, African killifish, naked mole rat, octopus, bat and cichlid.

The non-model organism “renaissance” has arrived

Meet 10 neuroscientists bringing model diversity back with the funky animals they study.

Assembloids illuminate circuit-level changes linked to autism, neurodevelopment

These complex combinations of organoids afford a closer look at how gene alterations affect certain brain networks.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
19 December 2024 | 0 min watch
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Rajesh Rao reflects on predictive brains, neural interfaces and the future of human intelligence

Twenty-five years ago, Rajesh Rao proposed a seminal theory of how brains could implement predictive coding for perception. His modern version zeroes in on actions.

By Paul Middlebrooks
18 December 2024 | 97 min listen