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Cortical myelination; early vocabulary; EEG in tuberous sclerosis

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 27 January.

By Jill Adams
28 January 2025 | 2 min read
  • The dorsal striatum’s contribution to fine-motor skills at age 3 depends on sex and autism diagnosis. Biological Psychiatry
  • A biomarker of cortical myelination—the T1w/T2w ratio determined by MRI—appears to identify people with neurodevelopmental conditions who are neurobiologically similar. NeuroImage: Clinical
Research image of regional structural differences in the brains of neurodiverse people.
Image of distinction: Combined imaging measures help reveal regional structural differences in neurodiverse people.
  • Scores on two screens—the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory—reflect slightly different aspects of language in infancy and differ more dramatically in children with a higher likelihood of having autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
  • Children with tuberous sclerosis complex show greater beta power in resting-state EEG than do their peers without the condition. But these differences appear to be driven by seizure activity and by anti-seizure medication, confounding simple interpretation. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • “Our data support a model where autonomous SYNGAP1 expression in cortical excitatory neurons promotes cognitive abilities through the assembly of long-range circuits that integrate temporally overlapping sensory and motor signals, a process that promotes perception and attention.” Nature Communications
  • Mice missing a noncoding region of the genome called hs737 have diminished expression of the autism-linked gene EBF3, as well as changes in behavior and body composition, according to a preprint. bioRxiv

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