Autism

Autism fMRI Subtypes Linked to Synaptic and Immune Pathways

July 3, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Neuroscience study used cross-species functional MRI (fMRI) connectivity to identify hypoconnectivity and hyperconnectivity autism subtypes linked to different synaptic and immune-related biological pathways. Key Findings 20 mouse models: Autism-relevant mouse models clustered into 11 hypoconnectivity-dominant and 9 hyperconnectivity-dominant fMRI patterns. 1,976 human scans: The human dataset included 940 autistic individuals and …

Nucleus Accumbens-Ventral Pallidum Pathway Regulated Rat Social Play

July 2, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 rat study in Brain Structure and Function found that ventral pallidum activity supports juvenile social play, while activating inhibitory nucleus accumbens inputs to the ventral pallidum reduced play behavior in both male and female rats. Key Findings Ventral pallidum inactivation: Bilateral muscimol microinfusion into the ventral pallidum reduced juvenile rat social play, …

Neonatal Gyri Showed Stronger Brain Connectivity Than Sulci

June 26, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Human Brain Mapping found that full-term neonates already showed stronger structural and functional connectivity between cortical gyri than between sulci, with brain structure-function coupling shifting toward decoupling around 41 weeks postmenstrual age. Key Findings Neonatal imaging sample: Researchers analyzed full-term neonates from the developing Human Connectome Project scanned between 38.14 …

Leigh Syndrome Organoid Drug Screen Identified Talarozole and Sertaconazole

June 26, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Communications used deep learning, yeast screening, and human brain organoids to identify talarozole and sertaconazole as preclinical candidates that rescued several SURF1-related Leigh syndrome cell and organoid phenotypes. Key Findings 2,250-drug yeast screen: Researchers screened a repurposable-drug library in a yeast model carrying a SURF1-homologue defect and selected top …

SYNGAP1 Atypical Absence Seizures Linked to Higher Autistic Behavior Scores

June 23, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv linked atypical absence seizures in SYNGAP1-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SYNGAP1-DEE) to higher caregiver-reported autistic behavior scores, while caregiver-reported peak seizure frequency did not show the same association. Key Findings 337-person analytic cohort: Researchers analyzed 337 SYNGAP1 registry participants with complete epilepsy and behavior questionnaires. 259 epilepsy-positive participants: Epilepsy …

ADHD and Depression Diagnoses Rose in Children With Intellectual Disability

June 20, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 nationwide study in Journal of Korean Medical Science found that among South Korean children and adolescents with intellectual disability, diagnosed ADHD increased from 30.23% in 2012 to 41.77% in 2021, while diagnosed depression increased from 10.46% to 19.37%. Key Findings Population: Researchers analyzed South Korean national health-insurance records for children and adolescents …

MeCP2 Overexpression Disrupted Neural Progenitor Cells More Than Mature Neurons

June 18, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Communications study found that extra MeCP2, the dosage-sensitive protein linked to Rett syndrome and MECP2 duplication syndrome, disrupted neural progenitor cells far more than mature neurons by activating developmental genes too early. Key Findings Cell timing mattered: MeCP2 overexpression caused broad transcriptional changes in neural progenitor cells, but only modest changes …

Glucose Signaling via ACLY Shaped Myelin-Forming Cell Development

June 17, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature Neuroscience found that glucose signaling through ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), an enzyme that links sugar metabolism to gene regulation, helped oligodendrocyte progenitor cells multiply before they matured into myelin-forming cells. Key Findings Glucose mapped onto cell state: Developing mouse-brain regions with higher glucose had more proliferating oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, …

Childhood Blood Proteome Shifted With Age and Sex in Longitudinal Study

June 16, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Communications study followed 100 Swedish participants from age 4 to 24 and found that more than half of detectable blood proteins changed with age, with sex-related protein differences becoming much larger by adolescence and early adulthood. Key Findings Four repeated blood draws: Researchers measured plasma proteins at ages 4, 8, 16, …

Bumetanide Study Captured Sensory-Reactivity Changes in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

June 15, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv found that a parent-cocreated sensory-reactivity outcome set captured anxiety, mood, sleep, fatigue, cognition, and peer-relationship changes during bumetanide treatment in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, but the unmasked design means the results should not be treated as definitive drug efficacy evidence. Key Findings Treatment cohort: 113 children and …

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