James Harris is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he is founding director of the Developmental Neuropsychiatry Clinic. He is also a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He served on the American Psychiatric Association committee that wrote the new definition of autism spectrum disorder for the DSM-5.
James Harris
Professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
From this contributor
Correcting the record: Leo Kanner and the broad autism phenotype
The specter of the ‘refrigerator mother’ theory continues to haunt the history of autism. New information puts Kanner’s observations of parents into context.
Correcting the record: Leo Kanner and the broad autism phenotype
By
James Harris, Joseph Piven
26 April 2016 | 10 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
The relationship between structure and function in cortical networks
Michael Reimann explains how the shape of neurons puts strong constraints on how they are wired in a network, and how this affects their structure-function relationships.
The relationship between structure and function in cortical networks
Michael Reimann explains how the shape of neurons puts strong constraints on how they are wired in a network, and how this affects their structure-function relationships.
By
Gaute Einevoll
28 October 2026 | 1 min read
How brains prevent ‘catastrophic forgetting’
Dendrite-specific inhibition lets overlapping neuronal assemblies form across brain areas without erasing existing memories, a new modeling study suggests.
How brains prevent ‘catastrophic forgetting’
Dendrite-specific inhibition lets overlapping neuronal assemblies form across brain areas without erasing existing memories, a new modeling study suggests.
By
Natalia Mesa
28 October 2026 | 6 min read
Lipids enter brain mapping limelight
Two new studies, including the first whole-brain lipid atlas in mice, uncover unforeseen complexity and influence during pregnancy and aging.
Lipids enter brain mapping limelight
Two new studies, including the first whole-brain lipid atlas in mice, uncover unforeseen complexity and influence during pregnancy and aging.
By
Lauren Schenkman
27 October 2026 | 6 min read