cells – ASF Weekly Science Podcasts

This week we talk to Dr. Dan Geschwind from UCLA who was funded by the Autism Data Science Initiative to study thousands of environmental chemicals and medicines across various genetic backgrounds. A decade ago, this study would have taken a decade, but through new technology, robotics, and existing knowledge about genes and these chemicals, it … Continue reading "The newest most advanced wa...

There is a cell in the brain called the microglia which has been traditionally overlooked as a target for therapies. New research supported by ASF and @FraxAresearch suggests that altering the function of microglia in the brain may help support the development of healthy and functional connections in the brain that may be impaired in … Continue reading "Microglia as a target for new interven...

Very rarely are scientists able to look at single genes within the brains of people across neuropsychiatric disorders and understand how the genes in each of these cells influence expression of proteins and interactions of different cells with each other. Recently, a collaboration called PsychENCODE released a series of papers that investigated what genes are … Continue reading "The Transcri...

This week we talk to Sergiu Pasca from Stanford University. He has revolutionized the field of understanding the field of brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders and just published a new study which examined the genetic influence of brain assembly. The way he does this is quite remarkable. His lab uses assembloids, which are many many … Continue reading "Little Brains Answer Big Qu...

Environmental exposures, including toxic chemicals, can contribute to the causes of ASD. But how do other environmental factors, like behavioral supports, work in the brain to improve behaviors associated with ASD? For this, you need a broad interpretation of the term “environmental” and an animal model so you can see the mechanism involved. Studies show … Continue reading "Envir...

This week, a special focus on genetics:  what type, where do they come from, what do these genes do and how do they influence risk of a wide array of psychiatric issues including autism.  The results come from the largest study to date of people with autism as well as those with ADHD, bipolar disorder … Continue reading "Genes genes all in an order, the ones you have, the greater risk of dis...

Does autism begin at a diagnosis, or before a diagnosis?  How early do genetics influence outcome?  This podcast explores a new angle to this question using studies in sperm.  One type of major ASD relevant mutation is de-novo mutations, meaning they are seen in the person with ASD but neither biological parent.  So where do … Continue reading "What sperm tells scientists about the origins o...

In a new study in animal models, researchers demonstrate how genetic variability in key risk genes leads to different brain development patterns.  Studying the brains of people with autism is challenging, since there are fewer resources to study.  However, scientists get creative and collaborative and re-analyze datasets previously published to look at different research questions. … Continu...

One of areas of genetic interest of autism is a region of chromosome 15.  Only about 3% of people with autism have the mutation, but 80% of those with the mutation have autism.  It is so important that people with duplications of this area have formed their own advocacy group called the Dup15 Alliance.  I was … Continue reading "Chromosome 15-apallooza"

Last week CNN.com reported on a study that showed slight improvement of autism symptoms in children that received a single infusion of their own umbilical cord blood.  While the study was interesting, the authors were the first to acknowledge the limitations, however, this did not stop the media from misrepresenting the results.  Details are explained … Continue reading "Oops the media did i...

On March 13th, Dr. Mark Zylka from UNC gave a 60 minute overview of how researchers are using autism-relevant genetic mutations in cells to start to understand the interactions between genetics and thousands of environmental factors on gene expression.  He pointed out the convergence of pathways in how genes and these environmental factors worked in … Continue reading "Exploiting genetics to...