
Ann Griswold
Science writer
From this contributor
Sex and other foreign words
People with autism fall in love. They marry. They even (gasp) have sex. Yet these deeply human needs have mostly gone ignored by scientists.
Many people with harmful genetic variants show no ill effects
Most adults with genetic variants tied to certain conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, go undiagnosed.

Many people with harmful genetic variants show no ill effects
This is a story of autism in small-town America
Rural living can be wonderful: community, friendly faces, a slower pace of life. But when there’s autism in the family, it can be tough.
This is a story of autism in small-town America
Autism, fragile X follow different developmental paths
Children with autism show an increase in restricted interests in their preteen years that is not seen in those with fragile X syndrome.

Autism, fragile X follow different developmental paths
Autism gene may double as pain processor
SHANK3, a leading candidate gene for autism, helps sensory neurons in mice respond to pain.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.

Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.
Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”

Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.