Nora Bradford is a California-based freelance writer specializing in neuroscience, marine biology and biomedical sciences. She has a B.S. in neuroscience, psychology and philosophy from the University of Chicago and is completing a Ph.D. in cognitive science at University of California, Irvine.

Nora Bradford
Contributing Writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Epigenome edits unmute MECP2 in Rett-like neurons
The approach removes methyl tags from the gene and shields it from other silencing factors without changing the gene itself, raising hopes for a new treatment.

Epigenome edits unmute MECP2 in Rett-like neurons
Common and rare autism-linked variants share functional effects
Within the 16p region of the genome, the two types of variants similarly decrease neuronal gene expression — an effect that may reflect their spatial relationship.

Common and rare autism-linked variants share functional effects
Auditory cortex may develop early in autism
A well-studied brain response to sound appears earlier than usual in young children with autism.

Auditory cortex may develop early in autism
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On the importance of reading (just not too much)
The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.

On the importance of reading (just not too much)
The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.
How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate
Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate
Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.
NIH autism database announcement raises concerns among researchers
The U.S. National Institutes of Health announced a plan to pour $50 million into data science projects intended to investigate the condition’s causes, but the initiative’s short timeline and other atypicalities have prompted questions.

NIH autism database announcement raises concerns among researchers
The U.S. National Institutes of Health announced a plan to pour $50 million into data science projects intended to investigate the condition’s causes, but the initiative’s short timeline and other atypicalities have prompted questions.