Maternal stress

Recent articles

A pregnant woman seen in profile, sitting on the edge of a bed.

Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage

Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.

By Charles Q. Choi
6 March 2025 | 3 min read
A younger looking set of hands holds an older looking set of hands.

New catalog charts familial ties from autism to 90 other conditions

The research tool reveals associations stretching across three generations.

By Charles Q. Choi
17 October 2024 | 4 min read
Illustration of half of a brain on the left and half of a heart on the right

Change of heart and mind: Autism’s ties to cardiac defects

Children with congenital heart disease have an increased likelihood of autism. Why?

By Lauren Schenkman
21 July 2023 | 12 min read

The most personalized medicine: Studying your own child’s rare condition

A handful of scientists are committed to advancing research on the autism-related genetic conditions their own children have.

By Lydia Denworth
7 July 2022 | 15 min read
Baby in utero surrounded by pills, on bright blue background

The link between vitamins, supplements and autism, explained

Too little — or too much — of certain substances during pregnancy may increase the odds of having a child with autism. Here we explain what scientists know about these associations.

By Peter Hess
14 April 2021 | 6 min read
Young woman during birth.

Epidurals linked to slightly higher autism odds, but connection is unclear

Women who receive epidural anesthesia during labor have an elevated chance of having a child with autism, a new study has found. But it is too soon for doctors to recommend against epidurals, experts say.

By Peter Hess
13 October 2020 | 6 min read
Doctor checking pregnant woman's blood pressure.

Common pregnancy complication linked to increased autism odds

High blood pressure during pregnancy may raise a woman's chances of having an autistic child.

By Marcus A. Banks
15 May 2020 | 3 min read

Acetaminophen use in pregnancy linked to autism, attention deficit in children

Pregnant women’s use of acetaminophen may increase the odds of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in their children.

By Peter Hess
28 November 2019 | 4 min read
Woman holding inhaler.

Asthma in parents shows slim link to autism in children

A child's risk of autism is slightly elevated if a parent or sibling has asthma or an autoimmune disease.

By Hannah Furfaro
1 April 2019 | 4 min read
baby in utero, with placenta and antibodies and molecules

What the placenta could reveal about autism

Understanding the interactions between the placenta and the uterine lining could explain how maternal immune activation leads to autism.

By Judy Van de Water
19 February 2019 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Organoids in a petri dish.

Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’

The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.

By Claudia López Lloreda
26 March 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of a laptop computer superimposed over a scroll.

‘Friction-maxxing’ in school: Students should read primary literature, not AI summaries

Trainees need to learn how to identify a neuroscience paper’s major takeaways and integrate them into their understanding. This skill doesn’t come from outsourcing the work to large language models.

By Nora Bradford
26 March 2026 | 5 min read

Head direction cells stably orient mice to outside world

The cells’ representations show little drift over time—unlike those of other navigation system neurons—and may provide a “rigid backbone” for more flexible sensory and cognitive responses.

By Angie Voyles Askham
25 March 2026 | 0 min watch