The brain of autistic individuals may present gene activity changes associated with cancer, a new study claims1. Previous studies have highlighted a potential link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cancer biology by showing that many autism risk genes are implicated in cancer-related processes2,3 and that individuals with ASD may present both higher and lower […]

Autism BrainNet relies on the teamwork of many clinical and research staff to acquire and distribute the tissue provided by the donor families. This staff is located at four centers, or nodes, across the United States. We recently spoke with Matthew Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., who is chief of neuropathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, associate […]

T-lymphocytes are white blood cells that help to regulate immune functions. While these cells are rarely observed in the brain of healthy, typically developing individuals, they may abound in the brain of those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study1 suggests. The study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, which […]

In this SPARK webinar, David G. Amaral, Ph.D. and Cynthia M. Schumann, Ph.D. talk about the importance of brain tissue research to deepen the understanding of the causes of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. They also provide an overview of how studying the human brain can help develop new and effective treatments to improve the […]

We are happy to share the Fall 2019 issue of the Autism BrainNet newsletter with you. The Autism BrainNet newsletter frequently summarizes the new science and outreach of this program. Read more here.

When so many services and interventions are needed to support children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), people may wonder why it is important for scientists to study the brain. In fact, the brain is the primary organ affected in ASD, and by investigating how it develops and functions in autistic people, scientists can […]

Meet our partners. Autism BrainNet can accomplish its goal of advancing autism research through postmortem brain studies thanks to partners from many walks of life. Our most important collaborators are the families in the United States, Great Britain and now Canada, who decided — or are considering — to make the most precious gift of […]

Research on the postmortem brain has shown that gene expression, the process whereby genes are turned on and off to make proteins, is altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet the molecular mechanisms that disrupt gene expression in ASD are little understood. Two new studies suggest that changes in gene activity that do […]

In two articles1,2 that appeared last year in the journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and Journal of Comparative Neurology, Cyndi Schumann and her colleagues reported that the brain of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows microscopic changes in the number and structure of neurons located in the amygdala, a brain region […]