Megan Scudellari

Freelance Writer
SFARI

Megan Scudellari is a freelance writer based in Durham, North Carolina.

From this contributor

Spectrum

By Megan Scudellari

11 July 2011

5 min read

Brains of toddlers with autism out of sync

Many toddlers with autism have weak connections between the two sides of the brain, according to the first-ever analysis of brain connections in young children with the disorder, published 23 June in Neuron.

Spectrum

Brains of toddlers with autism out of sync

By Megan Scudellari

11 July 2011 | 5 min read

Spectrum

By Megan Scudellari

28 April 2011

4 min read

Autism candidate gene implicated in social deficits

Mutations in a protein called GRIP1, important for the function of synapses — the junctions between neurons — may contribute to social deficits in autism, researchers reported 22 March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Spectrum

Autism candidate gene implicated in social deficits

By Megan Scudellari

28 April 2011 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

This paper changed my life

By Sidarta Ribeiro

14 July 2026

4 min read

Illustration of birdsong, bird brain, and DNA.

This paper changed my life: Embracing an early model for naturalistic neuroscience

A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.

This paper changed my life