News / Spotted

MECP2 gene; infant movement and autism; white-matter differences in tuberous sclerosis

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

By Jill Adams

28 May 2024 | 2 min read

Improvements in in-vivo Perturb-seq, a method that uses CRISPR and single-cell transcriptomics, enable more rapid and efficient targeting of cells throughout the developing brain. Use of the technique revealed that loss of function of the autism-linked FOXG1 gene has cell- and layer-specific effects in mouse cortex. Cell
A new study challenges the idea that the MECP2 gene, which is linked to autism and Rett syndrome, forms condensates—molecular compartments that act like drops of oil in water—with heterochromatin. In 2020, Spectrum reported on the evidence and uncertainties surrounding these interactions, which could have implications for how MECP2 function is disrupted in Rett syndrome. Nature Communications
Inconsistencies in age-related changes in brain structure and function have been found in two cohorts of neurodivergent children and adolescents, according to a preprint. bioRxiv

Wearable sensors can detect early movement characteristics that have some predictive value for an eventual autism diagnosis. Autism Research
Children with tuberous sclerosis complex and autism are more likely to have altered white-matter development than are their peers without autism. Journal of Child Neurology
The trajectory of cortical thickness in autistic girls differs from that of autistic boys. Molecular Psychiatry