Parallel tracks: Two distinct targets of anterior cingulate cortical neurons—the zona incerta and the limbic sector of the thalamic reticular nucleus—contribute to a pair of effects observed in a mouse model of autism: sociability and attention, respectively, according to a new paper. Mice carrying SHANK3b variants showed altered social behavior and attentional control, which could be differentially reversed with optogenetic activation of each pathway. The investigators write that the findings provide “circuit-level insights that may inform future research on modulating related symptoms in patients with psychiatric disorders.” 

Autism research spotted this week:

• “Characterization of the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of TCF7L2-related neurodevelopmental disorder (TRND)” Genetics in Medicine
• “Sex- and experience-dependent regulation of synaptic protein turnover” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• “Analysis of haploinsufficiency in human neural progenitor cells: Insights into early molecular effects of autism-related genes” Cell Death & Disease
• “Transdiagnostic behavioral and sociodemographic influences on the cognitive-adaptive functioning gap in neurodivergent children” Scientific Reports
• “CRISPR-engineered deletion of POGZ alters transcription factor binding at promoters of genes involved in synaptic signaling” Human Genetics and Genomics Advances
• “Long Effort to Ban Shocks as a Treatment Faces Uncertainty” The New York Times
• “Court Revives Lawsuits Tying Tylenol Use in Pregnancy to Autism and A.D.H.D.” The New York Times