Oxidative stress

Recent articles

Research image of mitochondrial activity in the mouse amygdala and hippocampus.

The fast-expanding repertoire of mitochondria in the brain

More than cellular powerhouses, these organelles also seem to help synapses communicate, support memory formation and even shape behavior.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
3 July 2026 | 7 min read
Mouse sensory neurons express the ion channel TPRV1 .

Neurons tune electron transport chain to survive onslaught of noxious stimuli

Nociceptors tamp down the production of reactive oxygen species in response to heat, chemical irritants or toxins.

By Viviane Callier
22 October 2025 | 5 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Metacognition, balovaptan bust, pattern recognition

This month, we pore over null results from a study of the accuracy of emotion recognition skills in autistic people, clinical trials of a vasopressin drug called balovaptan, and an analysis of ‘systemizing’ abilities in autistic children.

By Emily Harris
21 July 2022 | 4 min read

Mitochondria: An energy explanation for autism

People with autism have more mutations than others do in both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA that affects mitochondrial function.

By Laura Dattaro
22 November 2021 | 3 min watch
Stylized illustration combines flat color and 3D forms make up a mitochondria with human heads inside it.

Meet the ‘mitomaniacs’ who say mitochondria matter in autism

Clues that problems with mitochondria contribute to autism have been accumulating for decades. In the past five years, a mutant mouse and a flurry of findings have energized the field.

By Laura Dattaro
22 November 2021 | 18 min read
Mouse neurons in a grid show differences

Autism mutation may disrupt brain structure by disabling mitochondria

Mice that lack a segment of chromosome 22 — a mutation associated with autism — have unusually sparse connections between brain regions.

By Emily Anthes
13 June 2019 | 4 min read

New tools strengthen old link between autism, mitochondria

Variants of some mitochondrial genes may contribute to autism — in some cases, by teaming up with genes in the nucleus.

By Zoran Brkanac
30 May 2017 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Obesity, diabetes in mother up autism risk for child

The combination of obesity and diabetes in a pregnant woman substantially increases the likelihood that her child will have autism.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
12 February 2016 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Short chromosome caps may up autism risk in families

Telomeres, the structures at the tips of chromosomes, tend to be unusually short in people with autism and their immediate family members.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
6 July 2015 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Diabetes during pregnancy ups child’s autism risk

Children born to women who develop diabetes during the first or second trimester of pregnancy increase their risk of autism by 42 percent.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
24 April 2015 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of brain taking shape.

Neuroscientists weigh in on White House proposal for ‘moonshot infrastructure’ for connectomics

A report from the Trump administration calls for a “new golden age” of science, in which the federal government supports mission-driven collaborations to deliver high returns on research investments.

By Sarah Thau
24 July 2026 | 4 min read
Kevin Dunbar.

In memoriam: Kevin Dunbar, who traced the neural basis of human reasoning

Using imaging technologies, he transformed our understanding of how creativity and scientific discovery arise in the brain.

By Alissa de Chassey
24 July 2026 | 6 min read
Research image of neuronal migration.

Neurons engage in risky, DNA-breaking business during migration

The cells later repair the damage, which occurs mostly in transcriptionally silent parts of the genome.

By Sarah Thau
24 July 2026 | 4 min read