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
By
Mark Johnson
18 August 2015 | 6 min read
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
How thirteen-lined ground squirrels illuminate retinal development
In most mammalian retinas, rods outnumber cones. But that ratio is flipped in ground squirrels, a quirk that helps Seth Blackshaw explore how retinal cells develop their identities.
How thirteen-lined ground squirrels illuminate retinal development
In most mammalian retinas, rods outnumber cones. But that ratio is flipped in ground squirrels, a quirk that helps Seth Blackshaw explore how retinal cells develop their identities.
By
Sarah Thau
31 July 2026 | 5 min read
Highlights from the first-ever Neural Genetics and Epigenetics Gordon Research Conference
The meeting’s organizers recap the science to watch.
Highlights from the first-ever Neural Genetics and Epigenetics Gordon Research Conference
The meeting’s organizers recap the science to watch.
By
Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
30 July 2026 | 4 min read
Cortical territories compete in developmental space race
Sensory and association regions are established through a reciprocal process, according to a new model of cortical development.
Cortical territories compete in developmental space race
Sensory and association regions are established through a reciprocal process, according to a new model of cortical development.
By
Holly Barker
30 July 2026 | 5 min read