ASHG 2018

Recent articles

Microscopic view of spermatozoa

Some autism mutations go undetected, new study suggests

Some mutations that contribute to autism and arise spontaneously may be mistaken for inherited mutations.

By Jessica Wright
5 December 2018 | 5 min read

Massive sequencing project identifies new genetic syndromes

The largest-ever set of sequences from people with developmental delay has revealed 43 new genetic diagnoses.

By Jessica Wright
23 October 2018 | 3 min read
Brain cells under magnification glow red, purple and blue.

Mini-brains may pin down key genes in large mutations

Clusters of brain cells — so-called 'mini-brains' grown in the lab — may help researchers understand how large stretches of duplicated or deleted DNA affect the brain.

By Jessica Wright
22 October 2018 | 3 min read
A digital drawing shows two groups of people forming large arrows, see from above.

Mutation types tied to autism converge on shared set of genes

Genes linked to autism in sequencing studies tend be located in long stretches of DNA that are duplicated or missing in some people with developmental conditions.

By Jessica Wright
18 October 2018 | 3 min read
A boy toddler learns to walk with an adult holding his hands.

Some ‘autism genes’ show stronger ties to related conditions

The largest autism sequencing study to date implicates 99 genes in the condition — but nearly half have a tighter link to intellectual disability or developmental delay.

By Jessica Wright
17 October 2018 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Fruit flies use memory to track odors

When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.

By Calli McMurray
8 September 2026 | 2 min watch
Map of genome variation.

New methods to contextualize autism-linked genes, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 7 September.

By Jill Adams
8 September 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of folded origami.

Dimensionality—neuroscience’s red herring?

Placing too much emphasis on a specific interpretation of dimensionality, or treating it as an end-all quantification of some aspect of neural computation, may hinder progress in understanding the brain.

By Matthew Perich
7 September 2026 | 8 min read