![Zack Williams headshot](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Headshot-Sitting-with-Tie-RT-Cropped.jpg)
Zachary J. Williams
M.D./Ph.D. student
Vanderbilt University
From this contributor
Designing autism-friendly trials: Q&A with Caroline Averius and Zachary Williams
The pair’s new guidebook offers practical steps to make clinical trials easier and more meaningful for autistic participants.
![An illustration of a scientist sitting at a desk with abstract shapes representing ideas floating above her.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/glennharvey_2022_10_03_spectrumnews_FINAL2_844.jpg)
Designing autism-friendly trials: Q&A with Caroline Averius and Zachary Williams
A new hub for participatory research: Q&A with Zachary Williams
Last month, the International Society for Autism Research launched the INSAR Community Collaborator Request (ICCR), an online forum to foster collaborations between autistic people and autism researchers. Its creator, Zachary Williams, explains how researchers can make the most of this new resource.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/844_insar.jpg)
A new hub for participatory research: Q&A with Zachary Williams
Measuring alexithymia in autistic people
Despite the growing interest in alexithymia in autism research, the tools commonly used to measure this trait may not work reliably in autistic populations. A new scoring method fills that gap.
![Illustration shows a woman thinking as she is surrounded by signs with feelings on them and question marks.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20210330-Alexithymia844.jpg)
Measuring alexithymia in autistic people
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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.
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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.