Theories of autism

Recent articles

The signaling imbalance theory of autism, explained

The signaling imbalance theory holds that the brains of autistic people are hyper-excitable because of either excess neuronal activity or weak brakes on that activity.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
1 May 2019 | 4 min read

The female protective effect, explained

One of the leading theories of autism posits that girls and women are biologically protected from the condition.

By Hannah Furfaro
1 May 2019 | 4 min read
Illustration of a strong man holding up a oversized brain

The extreme male brain, explained

The ‘extreme male brain’ theory suggests that autism is an exaggeration of systematic sex differences in ways of thinking.

By Hannah Furfaro
1 May 2019 | 5 min read
Illustration of red figures on a big blue brain are serotonin signaling

Serotonin’s link to autism, explained

Serotonin, the brain chemical best known for its link to depression, may also be involved in autism.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
1 May 2019 | 5 min read
A DNA helix showing common and rare variants

The multiple hits theory of autism, explained

Researchers are studying how a combination of genetic ‘hits’ may contribute to autism’s diversity.

By Jessica Wright
1 May 2019 | 4 min read
Illustration shows the world is distorted through a point of view pair of glasses

The predictive coding theory of autism, explained

In autism, a person's brain may not form accurate predictions of imminent experiences, or even if it does, sensory input may override those predictions.

By George Musser
1 May 2019 | 6 min read
overlapping network of connections in the brain

The connectivity theory of autism, explained

A growing body of evidence suggests that autism involves atypical communication between brain regions, but how and where in the brain this plays out is unclear.

By Rachel Zamzow
1 May 2019 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Chris Rozell explains how brain stimulation and AI are helping to treat mental disorders

Rozell and his colleagues, using deep brain stimulation and explainable artificial intelligence, have developed tools to help people with treatment-resistant depression.

By Paul Middlebrooks
13 August 2025 | 1 min read
Illustration of a musical staff with notes represented by neurons.

This paper changed my life: Abigail Person on birdsong, feed-forward circuits and convergent computations

By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.

By Abigail Person
12 August 2025 | 6 min listen
Research image of mouse auditory brainstems.

Prosocial effects of oxytocin are state dependent; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 11 August.

By Jill Adams
12 August 2025 | 2 min read