ASHG 2015

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Analysis makes sense of missense mutations’ role in autism

Analyzing thousands of sequences, researchers have homed in on miniscule portions of the genome that may be crucial in determining autism risk.

By Jessica Wright
12 October 2015 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

New methods tighten ​net​ around autism genes

Autism researchers are sharpening their statistical tools to make sense of the growing pool of autism genes.

By Jessica Wright
9 October 2015 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Dispatches from ASHG 2015

These short reports from our reporter, Jessica Wright, give you the inside scoop on developments at the 2015 American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting.

By Jessica Wright
9 October 2015 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Twin study unearths clues to role of environment in autism

Researchers in Sweden are assembling a large group of identical twin pairs, with only one twin in each pair having autism.

By Jessica Wright
8 October 2015 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order

Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.

By Laura Dattaro
30 June 2025 | 4 min read

How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)

Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.

By Ashley Juavinett
30 June 2025 | 10 min read

Astrocytes sense neuromodulators to orchestrate neuronal activity and shape behavior

Astrocytes serve as crucial mediators of neuromodulatory processes previously attributed to direct communication between neurons, four new studies show.

By Claudia López Lloreda
27 June 2025 | 9 min listen