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Recent articles

Autism research hits the road

Some scientists are thinking creatively about how to collect data in flexible environments and meet communities where they’re at.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
8 December 2023 | 0 min watch
A young girl sits on the couch biting her thumb.

Children with autism and ADHD often have additional mental health conditions

The dual diagnosis frequently co-occurs with anxiety, depression and developmental and language delays.

By Maaisha Osman
10 February 2023 | 2 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results

Null and Noteworthy: Autism and aging, anorexia overlaps, pregnancy effects

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, researchers replicate encouraging findings on autism and aging and shoot down a host of potential links between pregnancy complications and having a child with autism.

By Laura Dattaro
10 February 2022 | 5 min read

Myelin loss may explain how autism-linked DNA deletion affects cognition

Deleting a copy of the gene TBX1 depletes the fatty myelin insulation that surrounds neurons and reduces cognitive speed in mice.

By Anna Goshua
8 December 2021 | 3 min read
Illustration shows a cartoon-like simple figure made out of a switchboard, with colorful cables converging on an area deep in the brain.

Brain’s sensory switchboard has complex connections to autism

An atypical thalamus may underlie not only sensory issues in autism but also difficulties with social skills, attention and memory.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
15 November 2021 | 9 min read
Annimation of eye tracking application following the pupil in a man's eye.

Web app tracks pupil size in people, mice

The app relies on artificial intelligence and could help researchers standardize studies of pupil differences in autistic people and in mouse models of autism.

By Rahul Rao
8 October 2021 | 3 min read
Two women making eye contact while talking with each other.

Social attention shows sex difference in autism

Autistic boys and men are less attuned to social stimuli than autistic girls and women are, according to new unpublished work.

By Angie Voyles Askham
14 May 2021 | 3 min read
Boy in front of colorful constellation or universe, studying the realms of outer space.

The benefits of special interests in autism

Researchers are studying how the intense passions of autistic people shape the brain, improve well-being and enhance learning.

By Emily Laber-Warren
12 May 2021 | 18 min read
Baby in mother's lap watching her mouth move as she talks.

Infant siblings of autistic children miss language-learning clues

So-called ‘baby sibs’ watch adults’ faces just as much as children without autistic siblings do, but they don’t understand spoken language as well.

By Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
6 May 2021 | 3 min read

Virtual-reality system tracks eye gaze in real-world settings

A new eye-tracking program for VR headsets captures nuanced aspects of social attention in autistic people.

By Peter Hess
5 May 2021 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Imagining the ultimate systems neuroscience paper

A growing body of papers on systems neuroscience and on giant simulations of neural circuits involves data beyond the point that anyone can reasonably understand end to end. Looking ahead, “paper-bots” could solve that problem.

By Mark Humphries
2 December 2024 | 8 min read
Illustration of a pen hovering over a gene sequence-like series of colored rectangles.

This paper changed my life: ‘Histone demethylation mediated by the nuclear amine oxidase homolog LSD1,’ from the Shi Lab

This paper defined key rules of epigenomic regulation and shaped how I study chromatin plasticity as a mechanism for experience-dependent changes in the brain.

By Anne E. West
27 November 2024 | 5 min read

What’s next for brain-directed gene therapy after death in Neurogene trial

The incident highlights that viral vectors can trigger deadly immune responses even when delivered directly to the nervous system.

By Calli McMurray
26 November 2024 | 6 min read