Julien Pacaud
From this contributor
Maiken Nedergaard’s power of disruption
The award-winning researcher’s discoveries have changed the way we think about the brain; that’s exactly what her critics dislike.
![Maiken Nedergaard, Britta Engelhardt and Christer Betsholtz on a floating rock island with university facilities and abstract shapes.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Transmitter-Nedergaard-TRUE-final-1024x683.jpg)
Maiken Nedergaard’s power of disruption
Debate remains over changes in DSM-5 a decade on
Changes to the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for autism were meant to add clarity, but they also generated new questions.
![Collage of multiple figures on a hillside looking at a large blue book in the distance.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1200-DSM-5.jpg)
Debate remains over changes in DSM-5 a decade on
New statistical method may spare lab animals
An online tool could help researchers limit the number of animals needed to power their studies.
Book Review: ‘Nobody’s Normal’ chronicles the intertwined history of mental illness and stigma
Anthropologist and autism expert Richard Roy Grinker’s latest title reveals how our definitions of mental illnesses and notions of ‘normality’ reek of cultural biases that stop many from seeking help.
![Brains of many colors with people standing on them, coming out of the shadows](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GrinkerReview-844.jpg)
Book Review: ‘Nobody’s Normal’ chronicles the intertwined history of mental illness and stigma
Spotting the problems with ‘camouflaging’ in autism research
Eric Fombonne spoke with Spectrum about the possibilities that autism is overdiagnosed in adults and that camouflaging traits is not unique to the condition.
![Photo-based illustration shows woman with a dress matching the wallpaper behind her, holding a mask.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20200825-Fombonee-844.jpg)
Spotting the problems with ‘camouflaging’ in autism research
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.