RTNS 2012

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Better tools needed to assess clinical trials

The past few years have seen an unprecedented number of clinical trials for experimental drugs to treat autism-related disorders, most notably for fragile X syndrome. But as the trials progress, scientists are calling for better methods to measure the drugs’ effectiveness.

By Emily Singer
14 May 2012 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Trials and tribulations

Clinical trials for fragile X drugs should include a behavioral therapy component, says a parent of a child with the disorder.

By Emily Singer
11 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Compensatory mechanisms

Identifying genetic and other factors that protect children at risk of autism from developing the disorder could provide new avenues for treatment.

By Emily Singer
8 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Debate over quality of adult-derived stem cells rages on

As the use of induced pluripotent stem cells grows, researchers are searching for ways to make them behave more predictably. 

By Emily Singer
7 May 2012 | 8 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Complex case

Multiple levels of complexity make it challenging to develop drugs to treat autism.

By Emily Singer
4 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Fast-forward

In the last three years, autism researchers have gone from sequencing single genes to whole exomes, as highlighted at the Translational Neuroscience Symposium in Switzerland last week.

By Emily Singer
27 April 2012 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Headshots of Yale researchers Yong-Hui Jiang and Jiangbing Zhou.

Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions

Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.

By Natalia Mesa
3 June 2026 | 11 min read

What counts as a ‘naturalistic’ behavior?

Nedah Nemati explains how neuroscience methods and the lived experience of the scientists themselves shape how we define the behaviors we seek to explain.

By Paul Middlebrooks
3 June 2026 | 1 min read
Research image of brain cells involved with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) illuminated through genetic tools

Allen Institute sets sights on treatments for five brain diseases

The Brain Health Accelerator program aims to harness single-cell transcriptomics and cell-type-specific genetic tools to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Lewy body dementia and ALS.

By Calli McMurray
2 June 2026 | 5 min read