Attention and IQ link; AUTS2-related syndrome; Glyx-13 for fragile X

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 24 February.

  • Nearly one in five preschool children with autism show increased attention problems as they approach adolescence, a change that is linked to the child’s IQ and their caregiver’s age and depression symptoms. Development and Psychopathology
  • Clinical aspects of AUTS2-related syndrome, which is characterized by developmental delay, autism and intellectual disability, are linked to the variant’s locus and whether single nucleotide variants are also present. Genetics in Medicine
  • The effect sizes of autosomal rare and damaging coding variants are similar in men and women with autism. American Journal of Human Genetics
  • The volume of the matrix compartment is increased—with no concomitant decrease in the striosome—in autistic people, according to a diffusion imaging-based study. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • An experimental drug called Glyx-13, which binds to the 2B subunit of NMDA receptors to augment signaling, normalizes protein synthesis and decreases seizures in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. Cell Reports

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