{
  "id": 1761490,
  "title": "Patchy brain development may help explain autism's varied traits",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/patchy-brain-development-may-help-explain-autisms-varied-traits",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-18T17:40:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-patchy-brain-autism-varied-traits.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) manifests differently in every person. Researchers have identified over a thousand genes linked to ASD, yet no single gene causes most cases. This genetic diversity has puzzled scientists about how a condition can affect individuals so variably. A new study from A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Bioinformatics Institute (BII) published in Nature Communications sheds light on this mystery. The researchers suggest ASD may stem not only from which genes are affected but also from where and how these genetic changes occur during brain development. To explore this, they created brain organoids from stem cells donated by people with and without ASD. These three-dimensional structures mirror critical stages of fetal brain development that cannot be directly observed in humans. By mapping gene activity and analyzing computational data, the team observed significant differences between organoids from individuals with and without ASD. Organoids from non-ASD individuals formed typical cerebral cortex layers, while those from ASD individuals often displayed patchy disorganization. Importantly, the location and size of these disorganized patches varied among individuals, implying ASD follows distinct spatial patterns of brain development. These structural changes were traced back to radial glial cells, neural stem cells that both guide and scaffold new neurons during development. Disrupted connections among these cells led to an unorganized scaffold and mispositioned neurons, disrupting the normal layered structure of the cerebral cortex. This study highlights that understanding where and how molecular changes occur during brain development can provide a complementary perspective on ASD's diverse traits. Dr. Liu Jinyue, principal scientist at A*STAR GIS and co-corresponding author, emphasizes that examining brain cell assembly into tissues may help explain why autism presents differently in each person. This research, a collaboration between A*STAR GIS and BII, utilized spatial genomics and computational biology expertise to reveal early brain development patterns at a single-cell resolution. By considering the spatial organization and interactions of cells, researchers may better understand the heterogeneity of autism and develop more targeted interventions.",
  "summary": "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects every individual differently. Scientists have identified more than a thousand genes associated with ASD, yet no single gene accounts for most cases. This has left researchers with a longstanding question: How can such diverse genetic changes give rise to the same condition yet affect each person so differently?",
  "key_points": [
    "ASD's varied traits may stem from genetic diversity and brain development patterns.",
    "Researchers created brain organoids from stem cells of individuals with and without ASD."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}