Jeanne Erdmann is an award-winning health and science writer based in Wentzville, Mo. A member of Association of
Health Care Journalists board of directors, she is the chair of the organization’s Freelance Committee. Her work has appeared in Discover, Women’s Health, Aeon, Slate, The Washington Post, Nature, Nature Medicine and other publications. You can follow her at @jeanne_erdmann.
Jeanne Erdmann
From this contributor
Analysis pins down prevalence of mental health conditions in autism
Eight mental health conditions occur unusually often in autistic people, a new analysis suggests.
Analysis pins down prevalence of mental health conditions in autism
By
Jeanne Erdmann
7 October 2019 | 2 min read
Drug screen reveals potential treatments for Rett syndrome
An experimental leukemia drug and a chemical in black pepper ease breathing and movement problems in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.
Drug screen reveals potential treatments for Rett syndrome
By
Jeanne Erdmann
11 September 2019 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
By
Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
By
Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
By
P. Robin Hiesinger
2 November 2026 | 6 min read