Vocalization
Recent articles
Hitting city streets to record rat behaviors: Q&A with Emily Mackevicius, Ralph Peterson
Capturing the rodents’ vocalizations and movements in the wild offers an opportunity to study naturalistic behaviors in a complex urban environment, Mackevicius and Peterson say.
Hitting city streets to record rat behaviors: Q&A with Emily Mackevicius, Ralph Peterson
Capturing the rodents’ vocalizations and movements in the wild offers an opportunity to study naturalistic behaviors in a complex urban environment, Mackevicius and Peterson say.
Some minimally verbal autistic people show signs of written-language familiarity, study suggests
But researchers not involved in the work worry the findings could be used to support discredited facilitated-communication techniques.

Some minimally verbal autistic people show signs of written-language familiarity, study suggests
But researchers not involved in the work worry the findings could be used to support discredited facilitated-communication techniques.
Abundant motor proteins disrupt cries in FOXP2 mice
Knocking down the gene that codes for the proteins normalizes the vocalizations.

Abundant motor proteins disrupt cries in FOXP2 mice
Knocking down the gene that codes for the proteins normalizes the vocalizations.
Lacking autism-linked gene, female birds tune out favorite songs
The gene, FOXP1, influences an animal’s motivation to listen to social communication, a new study suggests.

Lacking autism-linked gene, female birds tune out favorite songs
The gene, FOXP1, influences an animal’s motivation to listen to social communication, a new study suggests.
Beyond the bench: Learning new moves with dancer-scientist Constantina Theofanopoulou
Theofanopoulou shares how flamenco stepped up the pace of her social-communication research, and what’s behind the ‘no fear’ ethos in her new lab.

Beyond the bench: Learning new moves with dancer-scientist Constantina Theofanopoulou
Theofanopoulou shares how flamenco stepped up the pace of her social-communication research, and what’s behind the ‘no fear’ ethos in her new lab.
New software flags autism rat model’s telltale squeaks
By breaking rodent vocalizations into parts, TrackUSF distinguishes rats with mutations in the SHANK3 gene from their wildtype counterparts.

New software flags autism rat model’s telltale squeaks
By breaking rodent vocalizations into parts, TrackUSF distinguishes rats with mutations in the SHANK3 gene from their wildtype counterparts.
Researchers publish new dataset on minimally verbal autistic people
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published the first repository of vocalizations from minimally verbal autistic people. Those with few or no spoken words still produce a range of phonemes, or units of sound, that may serve as developmental markers or intervention targets.

Researchers publish new dataset on minimally verbal autistic people
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published the first repository of vocalizations from minimally verbal autistic people. Those with few or no spoken words still produce a range of phonemes, or units of sound, that may serve as developmental markers or intervention targets.
Birdsong-related DNA sequences tied to autism-linked genes
Genes that appear to play a role in some birds' ability to learn songs are frequently mutated in autistic people.

Birdsong-related DNA sequences tied to autism-linked genes
Genes that appear to play a role in some birds' ability to learn songs are frequently mutated in autistic people.
Tuning into bird songs for clues to autism
Parallels between how birds learn to sing and how children learn to speak provide a window into the roots of language difficulties in autism.

Tuning into bird songs for clues to autism
Parallels between how birds learn to sing and how children learn to speak provide a window into the roots of language difficulties in autism.
Maternal antibodies tied to autism bind to budding rat neurons
Certain antibodies may shape neurodevelopment by attaching to and invading new neurons in the brain.

Maternal antibodies tied to autism bind to budding rat neurons
Certain antibodies may shape neurodevelopment by attaching to and invading new neurons in the brain.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Autism-linked copy number variants always boost autism likelihood
By contrast, varied doses of the same genes decrease or increase the odds of five other conditions, with distinct biological consequences, two new preprints show.

Autism-linked copy number variants always boost autism likelihood
By contrast, varied doses of the same genes decrease or increase the odds of five other conditions, with distinct biological consequences, two new preprints show.
Everything everywhere all at once: Decision-making signals engage entire brain
The findings, gleaned from the most comprehensive map yet of brain activity during decision-making in mice, show that the process is even more distributed than previously thought.

Everything everywhere all at once: Decision-making signals engage entire brain
The findings, gleaned from the most comprehensive map yet of brain activity during decision-making in mice, show that the process is even more distributed than previously thought.
Astrocyte networks span large swaths of brain
The networks are plastic, connect brain regions that aren’t connected by neurons and may enable long-distance communication between astrocytes, a new preprint shows.
Astrocyte networks span large swaths of brain
The networks are plastic, connect brain regions that aren’t connected by neurons and may enable long-distance communication between astrocytes, a new preprint shows.