
Marcus A. Banks
From this contributor
Coronavirus threatens autistic people living in group homes
Living in close quarters, with rotating staff and sometimes inadequate protective equipment, group-home residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Coronavirus threatens autistic people living in group homes
Social brain may differ between men and women
Brain imaging data reveal sex differences in regions linked to social contact.
Common pregnancy complication linked to increased autism odds
High blood pressure during pregnancy may raise a woman's chances of having an autistic child.

Common pregnancy complication linked to increased autism odds
Cognitive tests may help characterize intellectual disability
Standardized tests can reliably assess memory, language ability, executive function and other traits in people with intellectual disability linked to autism.

Cognitive tests may help characterize intellectual disability
New atlas maps gene expression throughout the brain
A comprehensive atlas of gene expression by brain region could spur new research on autism.

New atlas maps gene expression throughout the brain
Explore more from The Transmitter
Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.

Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.
How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.

How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.
Astrocytes sense neuromodulators to orchestrate neuronal activity and shape behavior
Astrocytes serve as crucial mediators of neuromodulatory processes previously attributed to direct communication between neurons, four new studies show.

Astrocytes sense neuromodulators to orchestrate neuronal activity and shape behavior
Astrocytes serve as crucial mediators of neuromodulatory processes previously attributed to direct communication between neurons, four new studies show.