Gaze
Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex
The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.
![A slice of a cerebellum.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1200-lede-cerebellar-plasticity-autism-1024x692.png)
Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex
The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.
New tablet-based tools to spot autism draw excitement — and questions
Handheld devices promise to bring autism detection home, but many researchers urge caution.
![A child uses a tablet device](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1200-autism-app-tablet-neuroscience-transmitter-1024x683.webp)
New tablet-based tools to spot autism draw excitement — and questions
Handheld devices promise to bring autism detection home, but many researchers urge caution.
Looking at eye tracking’s potential for clinical trials
This month’s Going on Trial newsletter explores how eye tracking might be used beyond helping with diagnosis, among other drug development news.
![A hand reaches from above to add a pill to a stack that is resting against the x-axis of a graph.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/844-going-on-trial-autism-drugs-01.jpg)
Looking at eye tracking’s potential for clinical trials
This month’s Going on Trial newsletter explores how eye tracking might be used beyond helping with diagnosis, among other drug development news.
Tablet-based tool to spot autism validated in two studies
The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.
![Research images from an eye-tracking study.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Eye-Tracking-autism-Choi-811.jpg)
Tablet-based tool to spot autism validated in two studies
The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.
Null and Noteworthy: An ineffective therapy and an effective biomarker
In this edition, a strategy to help autistic children adapt their skills to new situations shows no benefit, but an early-life autism biomarker does.
![Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/844_Null2_01.jpg)
Null and Noteworthy: An ineffective therapy and an effective biomarker
In this edition, a strategy to help autistic children adapt their skills to new situations shows no benefit, but an early-life autism biomarker does.
Alexithymia, not autism, may drive eye-gaze patterns
How autistic people look at a face may be linked more to alexithymia, a condition marked by difficulties recognizing one's own emotions, than to autism.
![Two people having an intense conversation, one unable to make direct eye contact.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210609-EyeGaze844.jpg)
Alexithymia, not autism, may drive eye-gaze patterns
How autistic people look at a face may be linked more to alexithymia, a condition marked by difficulties recognizing one's own emotions, than to autism.
Social attention shows sex difference in autism
Autistic boys and men are less attuned to social stimuli than autistic girls and women are, according to new unpublished work.
![Two women making eye contact while talking with each other.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AIMS-LEAP-844.jpg)
Social attention shows sex difference in autism
Autistic boys and men are less attuned to social stimuli than autistic girls and women are, according to new unpublished work.
Infant siblings of autistic children miss language-learning clues
So-called ‘baby sibs’ watch adults’ faces just as much as children without autistic siblings do, but they don’t understand spoken language as well.
![Baby in mother's lap watching her mouth move as she talks.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MouthAttention-844.jpg)
Infant siblings of autistic children miss language-learning clues
So-called ‘baby sibs’ watch adults’ faces just as much as children without autistic siblings do, but they don’t understand spoken language as well.
Virtual-reality system tracks eye gaze in real-world settings
A new eye-tracking program for VR headsets captures nuanced aspects of social attention in autistic people.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/NaturalisticAttentionNoBordr-844.jpg)
Virtual-reality system tracks eye gaze in real-world settings
A new eye-tracking program for VR headsets captures nuanced aspects of social attention in autistic people.
Gaze-tracking app predicts autism diagnosis in toddlers
A mobile phone app that tracks a toddler's gaze as she watches short videos can distinguish between children who later receive an autism diagnosis and those who do not according to a new study.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20210426-toddlerGaceAi844.jpg)
Gaze-tracking app predicts autism diagnosis in toddlers
A mobile phone app that tracks a toddler's gaze as she watches short videos can distinguish between children who later receive an autism diagnosis and those who do not according to a new study.
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.