Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Parents of children with Angelman syndrome are less economically productive, which results in millions of dollars of lost productivity for society as a whole, according to a new study in Australia. “The present study highlights the significant impact that caring for a child with [Angelman syndrome] imposes on parents’…

The Angelman Syndrome Alliance (ASA) is currently accepting grant applications from scientists who are doing basic research to enhance understanding of Angelman syndrome and possibly pave the way toward future treatments. “Researchers of any country are invited to apply for research grants covering ‘basic science’ research that can…

Spinal surgery for scoliosis carries a high likelihood of complications, including serious ones, among people with Angelman syndrome and a related disorder known as Prader-Willi syndrome, a study highlights. “These findings provide additional evidence to support the idea that surgical intervention in patients with scoliosis with underlying AS [Angelman…

The UBE3A protein is needed shortly after birth for the proper development of the dorsomedial striatum, part of a brain region called the basal ganglia, a mouse study suggests. Findings shed new light on the neurological disruptions that give rise to Angelman syndrome and its symptoms, a disease caused by mutations that…

Severe seizure events known as status epilepticus are common in people with Angelman syndrome, especially during childhood, a new review study found. Researchers noted that status epilepticus often causes subtle symptoms that may be overlooked by caregivers and clinicians, highlighting the importance of correctly identifying and promptly treating these…

Nanopore adaptive sequencing — a recently developed technology that determines the sequence of a strand of DNA by measuring changes in electrical activity as the DNA strand is fed through a tiny opening — can be used to diagnose Angelman syndrome and the related condition Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a…

In children with Angelman syndrome, the parts of the brain that recognize words show activity similar to that of children with typical development, but lesser activity is seen in brain regions needed to assign meaning to words, a study suggested. The study, “Typical and atypical neural…

A “wide spectrum” of vision impairments can be common in people with Angelman syndrome but may not be fully recognized, causing further difficulties in their cognitive and functional development, a study reported. Based on the findings, researchers recommend that children diagnosed with Angelman undergo routine vision assessments so that early…

In a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, male and female mice show similar responses in tests of memory and fear, a study found. “Our results support the general conclusion previously reported in the field that there is no clear sex difference in fear-conditioning learning in [Angelman] mice,” the researchers…

The expression, or activity, of a trio of genes are altered in the nerve cells of people with Angelman syndrome, a new study suggests, and researchers say that assessing these levels may help in disease diagnosis. Two of the genes, ADAMTS2, and SLC30A8, had lower-than-normal expression in nerve cells,…