Mark Johnson is professor of experimental psychology and head of the psychology department at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Mark Johnson
Professor
Birkbeck University of London
From this contributor
Autism may arise from brain’s response to early disturbances
Autism is not a developmental disorder, but rather the brain’s adaptive response to early genetic or environmental disturbances, says Mark Johnson.

Autism may arise from brain’s response to early disturbances
Executive confusion
Among siblings of children with autism, those with better prefrontal cortex functioning — observable as relatively strong executive functions for their age — are better able to compensate for atypicalities in other brain systems early in life, and are therefore less likely to receive a diagnosis of autism later in their development, argues Mark H. Johnson.
Explore more from The Transmitter
The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.

The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.
Genetic background steers PTEN syndrome traits
People with the syndrome, caused by variants in the gene PTEN, often have autism or cancer, or both, but it depends on the genetic diversity encoded in the components of distinct cell signaling pathways, according to a new study.

Genetic background steers PTEN syndrome traits
People with the syndrome, caused by variants in the gene PTEN, often have autism or cancer, or both, but it depends on the genetic diversity encoded in the components of distinct cell signaling pathways, according to a new study.
Star-responsive neurons steer moths’ long-distance migration
Cells in the bogong moth brain respond to astral landmarks to orient the insects in the direction they need to go.

Star-responsive neurons steer moths’ long-distance migration
Cells in the bogong moth brain respond to astral landmarks to orient the insects in the direction they need to go.