Disruption of the autism-associated gene alters synaptic development and neuronal signaling in patient iPSC-glutamatergic neurons.

is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk gene and encodes a voltage-gated sodium channel. However, the impact of ASD-associated SCN2A variants on human neuron development is unknown. We studied SCN2A using isogenic induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and patient-derived iPSCs harboring a R607* truncating variant.

Neuron-specific protein network mapping of autism risk genes identifies shared biological mechanisms and disease-relevant pathologies.

There are hundreds of risk genes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but signaling networks at the protein level remain unexplored. We use neuron-specific proximity-labeling proteomics (BioID2) to identify protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for 41 ASD risk genes. Neuron-specific PPI networks, including synaptic transmission proteins, are disrupted by de novo missense variants.

A mini-review: Bridging the gap between autism spectrum disorder and pain comorbidities.

Background: Pain is a complex neurobiological response with a multitude of causes; however, patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report chronic pain with no known etiology. Recent research has been aimed toward identifying the causal mechanisms of pain in mouse and human models of ASD. In recent years, efforts have been made to better document and explore secondary phenotypes observed in ASD patients in the clinic.