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Veronique Greenwood
Contributing Editor
Spectrum
From this contributor
Autism may disrupt the body’s circadian clock
Sleep problems in autism may stem from the same biological changes that underlie the core features of the condition.
![closed eye and wide open eye against sky](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Circadian.jpg)
Autism may disrupt the body’s circadian clock
Automated tool records behavior of autism mouse models
A new tracking system automatically logs and scores mouse behavior as well as a human observer does, according to a paper published 31 December 2013 in Journal of Neuroscience Methods.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/image-archive/images/images-2014/toolbox2014/20140205toolboxmousebehavior.jpg)
Automated tool records behavior of autism mouse models
Clinical research: Low thyroid in pregnancy linked to autism
Low levels of a thyroid hormone during pregnancy raise the risk of autism-like symptoms in the child by fourfold, according to a study published 13 August in Annals of Neurology.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/107656.webp)
Clinical research: Low thyroid in pregnancy linked to autism
Molecular mechanisms: Timothy syndrome neurons defective
Neurons from people with Timothy syndrome, and from mouse and rat models of the disorder, have defects in the growth of their branches, according to a study published 13 January in Nature Neuroscience.
![Illustration of pyramidal neurons against a deep blue background.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/844-timothy-syndrome-neurons-defective-autism.jpg)
Molecular mechanisms: Timothy syndrome neurons defective
Cognition and behavior: Attention early indicator of autism
Infants who are later diagnosed with autism are less attentive to the presence of a person onscreen at 6 months of age than their typically developing peers are, according to a study published 14 January in Biological Psychiatry.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/image-archive/images/images-2013-folder/images-in-brief-2013/20130308ibattention.jpg)
Cognition and behavior: Attention early indicator of autism
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.