Israeli scientists have identified a specific gene mutation associated with autism and found that it has a significant impact on brain development in mice, with gene-expressions changes that are prominent in the cerebellum area of the brain.
The research indicates that these findings could be instrumental in developing drugs to directly change the neural processes in the cerebellum and offer hope for effective medications for the main symptoms of autism in the future.
The research team from Hebrew University includes PhD students Ben Title, Reut Suliman-Lavie, Professor Yosef Yarom, and Professor Sagiv Shifman. Courtesy
The study was led by Professor Sagiv Shifman from the Life Sciences Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for Autism Research. The research team included Professor Yosef Yarom from the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at Hebrew University and other scientists from laboratories in Taiwan, Japan, and the US.