Meng-Chuan Lai is associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Meng-Chuan Lai
Assistant professor
University of Toronto
From this contributor
Quashing sex bias in autism research calls for participant rainbow
Autism researchers must attend to the need for sex and gender diversity in study design as a rule rather than as an exception.
Quashing sex bias in autism research calls for participant rainbow
By
Meng-Chuan Lai
25 September 2018 | 6 min read
Brains of girls, boys may mark distinct paths to autism
Differences between the brains of men and women with autism may help explain why men are more susceptible to the condition and women appear to be protected from it.
Brains of girls, boys may mark distinct paths to autism
By
Meng-Chuan Lai
19 October 2015 | 7 min read
Mind the gender gap
Autism may be male-biased in prevalence, but our understanding of it should not be, argues Meng-Chuan Lai.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Latest iteration of U.S. federal autism committee comes under fire
The new panel “represents a radical departure from all past rosters,” says autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg.
Latest iteration of U.S. federal autism committee comes under fire
The new panel “represents a radical departure from all past rosters,” says autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg.
By
Angie Voyles Askham
29 January 2026 | 9 min read
‘Tour de force’ study flags fount of interneurons in human brain
The newly discovered cell type might point to the origins of the inhibitory imbalance linked to autism and other conditions.
‘Tour de force’ study flags fount of interneurons in human brain
The newly discovered cell type might point to the origins of the inhibitory imbalance linked to autism and other conditions.
By
Holly Barker
29 January 2026 | 4 min read
Michael Shadlen explains how theory of mind ushers nonconscious thoughts into consciousness
All of our thoughts, mostly nonconscious, are interrogations of the world, Shadlen says. The opportunity to report our answers to ourselves or others brings a thought into conscious awareness.
Michael Shadlen explains how theory of mind ushers nonconscious thoughts into consciousness
All of our thoughts, mostly nonconscious, are interrogations of the world, Shadlen says. The opportunity to report our answers to ourselves or others brings a thought into conscious awareness.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
28 January 2026 | 1 min read