Spectrum
Spectrum is the go-to destination for the latest news and analysis about autism research and a springboard for scientists and clinicians to forge collaborations that deepen our understanding of autism.
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Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
![Research image showing connectivity in brain regions in female mice with and without a UBE3A variant.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/autism-sexbias-1200-1024x692.webp)
CNTNAP2 variants; trait trajectories; sensory reactivity
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ctrl-ASD-1200-1024x692.webp)
Brain organoid size matches intensity of social problems in autistic people
Action potentials
![Image](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/themes/transmitter2023/frontend/images/seminar-bg.jpg)
”There is an alteration in excitation and inhibition, not just because of the number of cells but because of the synapses themselves. — VERÓNICA MARTÍNEZ-CERDEÑO
![A hand holds a stack of speech bubbles.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NEW-landscape-1200-1024x692.webp)
Leveraging the power of community to strengthen clinical trials for rare genetic syndromes
![Portrait of Matthew Siegel sitting on a staircase.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1200-lede-siegel-qa-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.webp)
Pinning down ‘profound autism’ for reliable research: Q&A with Matthew Siegel
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It’s past time to stop using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test
![Picture of Melbourne, Australia at night.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1200-INSAR-melbourne-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.webp)
Autism research is becoming more diverse but not yet more global
![Sunlit portrait photograph of Christine Wu Nordahl.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1200-lede-transmitter-neuroscience-nordahl-1024x683.webp)
Christine Wu Nordahl, doing whatever it takes to get good data
![an illustration of scientists parachuting](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ParachuteProb-1200-1024x692.webp)
The perils of parachute research
Scientists who study autism in lower-income countries are working to end practices that exploit or ignore collaborators and communities on the ground.
![Research video of a zebrafish larva (zoomed in on the gut) being given glucose.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/844-peripheral-nervous-system-deep-dive-autism-hp-size.gif)
On the periphery: Thinking ‘outside the brain’ offers new ideas about autism
Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.
![Young child stacks colored blocks on a table.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Motor-autism-development-811-1-1024x692.jpg)
High prevalence of developmental delay strains Australia’s support systems
![Out-of-focus photograph of a young girl sitting at a desk using an eraser.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/844-profound-autism-prevalence-1.jpg)
U.S. study charts changing prevalence of profound and non-profound autism
![An illustration of Brian Boyd](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1200-brian-boyd-synaptic-podcast-1024x692.png)
Brian Boyd, classroom-based interventions and the importance of representation
![An illustration of Evodkia Anagnastou](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1200-evdokia-anagnostou-synaptic-podcast-1024x692.png)
Evdokia Anagnostou and the concept of a good life
![Black-and-white illustrated portrait of Jonathan Green.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1200-jonathan-green-qa-autism-spectrum-stories.png)
‘Emergent and transactional’: How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions
![A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1200-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-autism-1-1024x692.png)
Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan
![A dentist examines a young girl’s teeth.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1200-dentist-sensory-adaptations-autism-1024x692.jpg)
Easing sensory sensitivities in the clinic: Q&A with Leah Stein Duker
![Illustration of a watch with the face taken up by an MRI scan of a brain.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1200-ruth-carper-1024x683.webp)
Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults
![Autism researcher Veronica Martinez Cereno holds a brain in her lab.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Cerdeno-Autism-brain-cc-844.jpg)
Beyond the bench: At school with Verónica Martínez Cerdeño
![Jill Silverman sits at her desk with her dog.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cc-lede-844-jill-silverman-autism-research-beyond-the-bench.png)
Beyond the bench: Finding solitude with Jill Silverman
![Gavin Rumbaugh stands on a beach with his family: his wife, dog and child.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/844-lede-gavin-rumbaugh-autism-research.jpg)
Beyond the bench: Finding balance with Gavin Rumbaugh
![Illustration of a form being signed.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1200-decisional-capacity-1024x683.webp)
Decisional capacity and informed consent, explained
![Illustration of a pregnant woman seated next to a large diagram of the brain featuring chromosomes, bacteria and other microbes.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/1200-maternal-inflamation-1024x683.webp)
The link between maternal infection and autism, explained
![Child stands with back to group of large signs offering directions.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/1200-pathological-demand-avoidance-1024x683.webp)
Pathological demand avoidance in autism, explained
Spectrum books
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Chronicle of a Field Retold: Autism Science in Profile
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Autism by the Numbers: Explaining its Apparent Rise
Bumetanide; sex-biased gene expression; racial and ethnic disparities
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 15 July.
![Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1200-spotted-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.webp)
Bumetanide; sex-biased gene expression; racial and ethnic disparities
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 15 July.
Autism interventions tailored for Black Americans; gene therapy for Rett syndrome; KATNAL2 gene
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 8 July.
![Illustration of an adult holding two pieces of paper with different shapes on them in front of a child.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Posture-Interventions-1200-1024x692.webp)
Autism interventions tailored for Black Americans; gene therapy for Rett syndrome; KATNAL2 gene
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 8 July.
Understanding fragile X syndrome
Just in time for Fragile X Awareness Month, The Transmitter rounds up notable coverage.
![A research image of X chromosomes with Fragile X syndrome](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_FragileX-1024x683.webp)
Understanding fragile X syndrome
Just in time for Fragile X Awareness Month, The Transmitter rounds up notable coverage.
FOXP1 gene; dose effect of neurodevelopmental conditions; transcriptomics in mouse model of autism
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 July.
![Research image showing the number of unique SHANK3 transcripts in mice.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Fig6A-Transcriptome-1200-1024x692.webp)
FOXP1 gene; dose effect of neurodevelopmental conditions; transcriptomics in mouse model of autism
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 July.
Synaptic anomalies in autistic people support imbalance hypothesis
Increased excitatory and decreased inhibitory synapses in the prefrontal cortex of autistic people suggest broader impacts on brain function and connectivity.
![Research image of excitatory synapses in the prefrontal cortex.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Fig2BD3BD-1200-1024x692.webp)
Synaptic anomalies in autistic people support imbalance hypothesis
Increased excitatory and decreased inhibitory synapses in the prefrontal cortex of autistic people suggest broader impacts on brain function and connectivity.
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.
![](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.
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.
New ‘decoder’ tool translates functional neuroimaging terms across labs
The compendium of brain-parcellation atlases makes it possible to compare large-scale network data, which often involves different and overlapping network names.
![Research image of a variety of brain atlases.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fig2B-1200-1024x692.webp)
New ‘decoder’ tool translates functional neuroimaging terms across labs
The compendium of brain-parcellation atlases makes it possible to compare large-scale network data, which often involves different and overlapping network names.