Risperidone

Q&A with W. David Lohr: Antipsychotics, polypharmacy among autistic preschoolers

Hundreds of preschool-aged children in Kentucky began taking antipsychotic medicines in 2012, according to an analysis of Medicaid records. Lohr discusses what it will it take to get them behavioral therapies instead.

By Niko McCarty
21 September 2021 | 3 min read
Pregnant woman holding two white pills in her hand.
Spectrum Microphone

Prenatal exposure to antipsychotic medication does not increase odds of autism, ADHD

Children born to mothers who take antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy are not more likely to have autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or to be born preterm or underweight.

By Peter Hess
20 August 2021 | 2 min read
Brain and marijuana leaves
Spectrum Microphone

Q&A with Eric Hollander: Cannabis treatments for autism

As cannabis prohibition slowly lifts in the United States, scientists and families in the autism community are increasingly turning to the drug and its constituent compounds to ease autism-related difficulties, including seizures and irritability.

By Peter Hess
8 June 2021 | 6 min read
researchers, doctors and others work together to help a family and their autistic child. Family is at the center of a flower, and the researchers are moving the petals into place.

Medical ‘home’ programs offer coordinated care for autistic people

A Utah program provides comprehensive care for autistic people across the lifespan and engages families in the decision-making.

By Kathleen Campbell, Paul Carbone
13 August 2019 | 5 min read
Spectrum Microphone

Clinicians should consider off-label treatments for autism

Clinicians need a more consistent and evidence-based approach to prescribing antipsychotics to children and adolescents with autism.

By Maurizio Bonati
7 May 2019 | 5 min read
girl in medical setting

Psychotropic drugs frequently prescribed for autistic people

About one in three autistic people in the United Kingdom is prescribed drugs designed to alter brain function.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
11 February 2019 | 4 min read

Revelando los secretos del síndrome X frágil en Colombia

Una remota ciudad colombiana es el hogar del grupo más grande de personas con síndrome de X frágil. Los científicos están aprendiendo de ellos y tratando de ayudar.

By Hannah Furfaro
31 January 2019 | 18 min read
Juan Pablo Quintero, Sara Quintero, Soledad Quintero, Rosario Quintero, Yeison Quintero, pose for a group portrait in Ricaurte, Valle del Cauca, on July 28, 2018.

Unlocking the secrets of fragile X in Colombia

A remote Colombian town is home to the world's largest cluster of people with fragile X syndrome. Scientists are learning from them — and trying to help.

By Hannah Furfaro
10 October 2018 | 15 min read
Photo: Autistic woman Becky Audette lies on a couch under a purple blanket.

Rebooting Becky’s brain

An electrical brain implant all but erased the obsessions that had consumed Becky Audette, years after her autism diagnosis. Could similar implants help other people with severe autism?

By Ingrid Wickelgren
12 September 2018 | 28 min read

Drug dangers; allergy risk; science #MeToo and more

A prospective study shows that antipsychotics mess up metabolism, autism is tied to a doubled risk for food allergies, and a report reveals pervasive sexual harassment in science.

By Emily Willingham
15 June 2018 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.

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.

By Laura Dattaro
26 July 2024 | 7 min read
Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.

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.

By Cathleen O’Grady
25 July 2024 | 8 min read

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.

By Angie Voyles Askham
24 July 2024 | 6 min read