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Recent articles

Boy staring at fidget spinner

Risk genes for autism overlap with those for attention deficit

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may carry certain rare, harmful mutations in many of the same genes as people with autism.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
25 November 2019 | 4 min read
Modifier genes may enhance or diminish the effects of a mutation linked to autism.

Second ‘hits’ may explain autism mutations’ varied effects

People who have a mutation linked to autism plus a second genetic glitch tend to have more severe symptoms than those with the mutation alone.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
5 October 2018 | 3 min read

Yeast assay illuminates effects of mutations in top autism gene

Mutations in the gene PTEN that are tied to autism may be less harmful than those linked to a syndrome characterized by benign tumors.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
1 June 2018 | 3 min read
Medical practitioner marking blood sample.

Mosaic mutations in sperm point to increased autism risk

More than 5 percent of mutations thought to have arisen spontaneously in a child with autism may in fact be inherited.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
23 October 2017 | 4 min read
Mother and daughter practicing writing.

Rare autism mutations linked to low intelligence

People with autism who have rare, damaging mutations tend to have low scores on intelligence tests.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
20 October 2017 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Monkeys at Dutch primate center.

Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate

Science is forging ahead at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands, following a reversal of last year’s mandate to phase out primate studies. But researchers aren’t sure how long the reprieve will last.

By Lauren Schenkman
2 September 2026 | 5 min read

When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?

Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 September 2026 | 96 min listen
Research image of organoids.

Unconfounding genetic and environmental factors, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 31 August.

By Jill Adams
1 September 2026 | 2 min read