MIT is launching a center for autism research at the McGovern Institute with $20 million in funding from MIT alumnus Hock Tan and Lisa Yang, writes Barb Darrow for Fortune. Darrow writes that Yang told Fortune she was "greatly impressed by both the collegiality and focus of the institute's researchers.”
A study by MIT researchers is providing more information about how the brain stores and processes social memories, writes Hallie Smith for Boston Magazine. Smith explains that, in the future, the findings may be applicable to autism research and therapy.
MIT researchers have found that genetic engineering could be used to reverse some of the symptoms of autism, reports Carolyn Gregoire for The Huffington Post. The researchers found that turning on the Shank3 gene, “could reverse symptoms associated with autism, such as repetitive behaviors and social avoidance.”
Boston Magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme writes that MIT researchers have found that they can reverse some of the behavioral symptoms association with autism. Ducharme explains that, “the discovery may open the door to developing more universal approaches to treating autism, like identifying and targeting the specific circuits that cause each patient’s behavioral gaps.”
Karen Weintraub writes for The Boston Globe about Professor Temple Grandin’s talk at MIT about coping with stress. Grandin, who has autism, “said her anxiety has been transformed into hyper-vigilance. She’s aware of every little movement the airplane she’s riding on makes, but isn’t worried that the plane might crash,” Weintraub explains.
Carolyn Johnson of The Boston Globe reports on a new paper by MIT Prof. Pawan Sinha and others that says an inability to make good predictions may explain autism. “Researchers suggest people with autism spectrum disorder may perform repetitive behaviors because personal habits and rituals are a safe harbor in a world they find alarmingly out of control,” writes Johnson.