Amanda Leigh Mascarelli is a freelance writer based in Denver, Colorado.
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
Freelance Writer
SFARI.org
From this contributor
Time perception problems may explain autism symptoms
Individuals with autism have trouble perceiving the passage of time, and pairing sights and sounds that happen simultaneously, according to two new studies.
Time perception problems may explain autism symptoms
By
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
20 September 2010 | 6 min read
Social interactions not rewarding for children with autism
Children with autism have abnormally low brain activity in the ‘reward center’ of the brain when given money or shown a happy face, according to a study in Autism Research. These are the first imaging data to support the notion that children with autism derive less pleasure from social interactions compared with their healthy peers.
Social interactions not rewarding for children with autism
By
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
23 July 2010 | 5 min read
Flu triggers schizophrenia-like features in monkeys
Babies born to rhesus monkeys infected with the flu virus during pregnancy have significantly smaller brains than normal, and other brain abnormalities seen in schizophrenia, researchers have found. The study, published last month in Biological Psychiatry, provides the first evidence in non-human primates linking flu infection to a higher risk of schizophrenia.
Flu triggers schizophrenia-like features in monkeys
By
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
25 June 2010 | 7 min read
Faulty connectivity found in mouse model of schizophrenia
Mice engineered to carry a well-known risk factor for schizophrenia show disruptions in the connections between two brain regions that coordinate memory and learning. And these disruptions directly cause problems with working memory — the ability to actively hold information and to recall that information to make a decision, according to a study published in Nature.
Faulty connectivity found in mouse model of schizophrenia
By
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
18 June 2010 | 6 min read
Autism not a fundamental problem of attention, study says
Toddlers with autism pay less attention to faces than do healthy controls, but both groups give equal attention to objects, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The findings challenge the idea that individuals with autism have a generalized problem with attention, suggesting instead that they struggle with attending specifically to social stimuli, researchers say.
Autism not a fundamental problem of attention, study says
By
Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
16 April 2010 | 6 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.
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.
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.
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