Anna Goshua is an editorial intern at Spectrum. Previously, she interned at Medscape. She is a medical student at Stanford University and a journalism student in the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University.

Anna Goshua
Intern
Spectrum
From this contributor
Cluster of traits tied to rare mutations in autism-linked gene
Developmental delay, intellectual disability and behavioral issues are common among people who have mutations in MYT1L, a gene with strong ties to autism.

Cluster of traits tied to rare mutations in autism-linked gene
Pitfalls in using autism claims data: Q&A with Lindsay Shea
Insurance claims data are useful for autism research, but the field needs to standardize how they are mined, Shea says.

Pitfalls in using autism claims data: Q&A with Lindsay Shea
DNA methylation in autism, explained
How chemical tags called methyl groups position themselves on genetic sequences may hint at some of the causes of autism.
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.

Myelin loss may explain how autism-linked DNA deletion affects cognition
Dispatches from SfN 2021: Mitochondria, Rett therapy and oxytocin
These short reports from Spectrum journalists highlight some of the autism-related findings that caught our attention at the meeting this past week.

Dispatches from SfN 2021: Mitochondria, Rett therapy and oxytocin
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.
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.
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.