Pupillometry

Recent articles

Annimation of eye tracking application following the pupil in a man's eye.

Web app tracks pupil size in people, mice

The app relies on artificial intelligence and could help researchers standardize studies of pupil differences in autistic people and in mouse models of autism.

By Rahul Rao
8 October 2021 | 3 min read

Mice reveal roots of sensory issues tied to top autism gene

Mice with mutations in the autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 have trouble sensing touch, which may stem in part from brain-circuit alterations and dulled alertness.

By Peter Hess
23 November 2020 | 4 min read
Man working from home office.

INSAR 2020, from home

Like so many other events this year, autism’s biggest annual conference — the International Society for Autism Research meeting — was forced to go virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic.

By Spectrum
31 July 2020 | 15 min read
Close up view of human eye.

Autistic people may have trouble tuning out distractions

Pupil response suggests autistic people have atypical activity in a part of the brain that regulates attention.

By Laura Dattaro
4 May 2020 | 5 min read

Pupillary reflex in infancy may yield clues to autism

The pupils of babies later diagnosed with autism shrink more in response to light than those of their typical peers.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
25 June 2018 | 4 min read

Autism unsurprised; diagnostic camouflage; Neanderthal legacy and more

People with autism aren’t easily surprised, the social camouflage some girls and women with autism use may preclude diagnosis, and autism-related genes are rooted deep in human ancestry.

By Emily Willingham
4 August 2017 | 4 min read

Delayed pupil response to light may be early sign of autism

The pupils of preschoolers with autism are slow to constrict in response to light, a phenomenon that may serve as an early marker of autism risk.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
24 February 2017 | 4 min read

Shrinking pupils may mirror autism risk in babies

The pupils of 10-month-old infants who have a sibling with autism constrict unusually fast in response to flashes of light, hinting that this reflex could be an early sign of the disorder.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
20 March 2015 | 2 min read
A close-up photograph of an infant’s right ear.

Controversial study uncovers hearing glitch in autism

An ear muscle is more sensitive to loud sounds in children with autism than in controls, according to a study published 3 July in Autism Research. The researchers say this measure could serve as a clinical biomarker of the disorder, but others fiercely disagree.

By Virginia Hughes
29 July 2013 | 6 min read

Study links pupillary reflex, heart rate in autism

More than half of children with autism have a delayed pupillary response to light, along with a high heart rate and other physiological features, according an unpublished study presented Thursday at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

By Laura Geggel
4 May 2013 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Double-duty neurons in primary olfactory cortex pick up on more than just scent

The cells recognize not only odors, such as bananas and black licorice—but also images and words associated with those smells, according to single-neuron recordings from 17 people.

By Angie Voyles Askham
9 October 2024 | 7 min read

How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan

The artistic approach can help explain complex ideas frame by frame without diluting the science, Rajan says.

By Olivia Gieger
9 October 2024 | 7 min read

Former Columbia University psychiatrist committed research misconduct, says federal watchdog

Bret Rutherford, whose research was halted following a suicide in a clinical trial, falsely reported participant eligibility, according to the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.

By Brendan Borrell, Ellie Kincaid
8 October 2024 | 3 min read