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New Genetic Insights From Long Read Sequencing in a Teen With Complex Psychiatric Conditions

In a manuscript published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry titled Long-Read Genome Sequencing in Clinical Psychiatry: RFX3 Haploinsufficiency in a Hospitalized Adolescent With Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Behavioral Decompensation, authors describe how they leveraged long-read genomic sequencing (LRS) to make a genetic diagnosis in a17-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and acute behavioral decompensation that would not have been possible by standard methods.

12 Apr 2025

Study Reveals How Syngap1 Gene Affects Touch-Based Perception in Mice

You may scarcely notice it, but much of what you do every day requires your brain to engage in perceptual learning.

14 Mar 2025

Circadian Rhythms Play a Key Role in Teen Eating Habits and Obesity

Researchers found that teens with obesity ate more later in the day than their peers of healthy weight, and that their eating behaviors were strongly influenced by their internal body clock.

18 Feb 2025

New Research Identifies Brain Cells Linked to Alcohol-Induced Insomnia

Alcohol use disorder, which affects over 10% of Americans, can lead to persistent and serious insomnia.

8 Feb 2025

Understanding How α2δ Protein Mutations Influence Brain Development in Autism

A recent study has uncovered how specific genetic mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3 proteins linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) alter neuronal functionality. These mutations significantly reduce the proteins’ membrane expression and synaptic targeting but do not impair calcium channel activity or trans-synaptic signalling.

3 Feb 2025

Study Unveils Surprising Cause of Brain Cell Death in Huntington's Disease

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and McLean Hospital have discovered a surprising mechanism by which the inherited genetic mutation known to cause Huntington's disease leads to the death of brain cells.

17 Jan 2025

Genetic Analysis Sheds Light on How Staphylococcus aureus Evades the Immune System

The most detailed study to date on the mechanisms by which a common type of bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, adapts to living on the human body could help improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of certain infections.

15 Jan 2025

New Insights into How Early Life Experiences Influence Genetic Expression and Brain Health

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, renowned neuroscientist Dr. Michael Meaney reveals pivotal discoveries about the intricate relationship between genes and environment in shaping brain health.

2 Jan 2025

New Discovery Redefines the Shape of Axons in Mammalian Brain Cells

Biology textbooks may need a revision, say Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists, who present new evidence that an armlike structure of mammalian brain cells may be a different shape than scientists have assumed for more than a century.

3 Dec 2024

Genetic Signatures Driving Early Type 2 Diabetes in South Asians Revealed

A genetic predisposition to having lower insulin production and less healthy fat distribution are major causes of early-onset type 2 diabetes in British Asian people.

28 Nov 2024

Locus Coeruleus Identified as Crucial for Maintaining Sleep Cycles

Researchers at the University of Lausanne have identified a novel role for the brain's 'locus coeruleus' in sleep and its disruptions.

26 Nov 2024

Rutgers Researchers Uncover How Brain Cells Form Functional Networks

Rutgers researchers at the Brain Health Institute (BHI) and Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR) have uncovered how different types of brain cells work together to form large-scale functional networks in the human brain – interconnected systems that support everything from sensory processing to complex decision-making – paving the way for new insights into brain health and disease.

23 Nov 2024

Gut Bacteria Influence Stress Responses Through Circadian Rhythms

A pioneering study has uncovered the vital role that gut microbiota plays in regulating stress responses by interacting with the body's circadian rhythms.

6 Nov 2024

New Study Links Cannabis Use to DNA Methylation Changes in Mental Health Pathways

Research reveals that frequent high-potency cannabis use alters DNA methylation, affecting mitochondrial and immune genes, with implications for mental health.

25 Oct 2024

Study Reveals Bait-and-Switch Tactics in Mouse Aggression

A research group led by Joshua Neunuebel at the University of Delaware, USA, tracked the behavior of mice using machine learning to understand how they handle aggressive behavior from other mice.

17 Oct 2024

High Potency Cannabis Leaves Unique DNA Signature, Study Shows

Published in Molecular Psychiatry, this is the first study to suggest that the use of high potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.

16 Oct 2024

New Insights Into Early Brain Development and Mental Health

An unparalleled glimpse at how gene regulation changes during human brain development has been provided by a study led by UCLA, which demonstrates the crucial role played by the 3D structure of chromatin, which is made up of proteins and DNA.

10 Oct 2024

Study Reveals Role of 14 Skinny Genes in Weight Loss

The secret to losing weight could all be down to a combination of 14 'skinny genes', a new study has found.

10 Oct 2024

Scientists Successfully Map the Entire Fruit Fly Brain

A team of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s The BRAIN Initiative, including Davi Bock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences at UVM's Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, recently made a substantial advancement in neurobiological research by successfully mapping the entire brain of Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the fruit fly.

3 Oct 2024