Jessica Wright was senior news writer at Spectrum from 2010 to 2019. Her writing has also appeared in Nature and Scientific American.
Jessica has a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University.
Jessica Wright
From this contributor
Autism prevalence in the United States, explained
The bulk of the increase in autism prevalence stems from a growing awareness of the condition and changes to the diagnostic criteria.
Autism prevalence in the United States, explained
By
Jessica Wright
3 September 2020 | 8 min read
Analysis of sequences pegs 102 top autism genes
The number of top autism genes has risen from 65 to 102, based on an analysis of more than 35,000 sequences. And researchers are seeing the first hints of autism risk variants in the regions between genes.
Analysis of sequences pegs 102 top autism genes
By
Jessica Wright
24 January 2020 | 4 min read
Early life experiences may shift severity of autism
A child’s environment exerts a strong influence on the severity of her autism, a study of identical twins suggests.
Early life experiences may shift severity of autism
By
Jessica Wright
17 January 2020 | 4 min read
The link between epilepsy and autism, explained
Autism and epileptic seizures often go hand in hand. What explains the overlap, and what does it reveal about autism’s origins?
The link between epilepsy and autism, explained
By
Jessica Wright
21 October 2019 | 4 min read
Can preventing seizures alter the course of autism?
Experimental surgeries to prevent seizures may help scientists understand the link between autism and epilepsy.
Can preventing seizures alter the course of autism?
By
Jessica Wright
18 September 2019 | 17 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Gene-activity map of developing brain reveals new clues about autism’s sex bias
Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.
Gene-activity map of developing brain reveals new clues about autism’s sex bias
Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
16 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Engrams in amygdala lean on astrocytes to solidify memories
Disrupting the astrocyte-neuronal dynamic in mice destabilizes their memory of fear conditioning.
Engrams in amygdala lean on astrocytes to solidify memories
Disrupting the astrocyte-neuronal dynamic in mice destabilizes their memory of fear conditioning.
By
Lauren Schneider
15 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
Parsing phenotypes in people with shared autism-linked variants; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 October.
By
Jill Adams
14 October 2025 | 2 min read