Christine Wu Nordahl is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute.
Christine Wu Nordahl
Assistant professor
University of California, Davis
From this contributor
Early brain enlargement augurs distinct form of autism
A minority of boys with autism have brains that are unusually large relative to their bodies — a trait tied to regression and intellectual disability.
Early brain enlargement augurs distinct form of autism
By
Christine Wu Nordahl
11 April 2017 | 5 min read
Questions for Nordahl, Mello: Scans for children with autism
Techniques used in behavioral interventions could help scientists scan the brains of children who have both autism and intellectual disability.
Questions for Nordahl, Mello: Scans for children with autism
By
Jessica Wright
19 July 2016 | 6 min read
Charting typical brain development
How can we characterize what is atypical when we don’t fully understand what typical brain development looks like, particularly under the age of 5? Christine Wu Nordahl explains the importance of scanning the brains of typically developing children.
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Claudia López Lloreda
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Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
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Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
By
Erin Calipari
14 April 2026 | 5 min read