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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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WHAT WE ARE READING
“Oxytocin and autism - A precision medicine framework to unpack mechanisms and evidence”
By KELSIE A. BOULTON & ADAM J GUASTELLA in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
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Quote

They’re celebrating miracles with these methods. We felt that there was a need to see if there was any direct authorship testing. — RALF SCHLOSSER, AUGMENTATIVE-COMMUNICATION EXPERT, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

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WHAT WE ARE READING
“Unfalsifiable by Design: A Year of Trying and Failing to Reproduce a Human Microbiome and Autism Study”
By A. MURAT EREN and IVA VESTELI
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Stay current with the latest advancements in autism research.

Richard Frye.
Spectrum

Exclusive: Who is Richard Frye, the neurologist who researches and advocates for leucovorin as an autism treatment?

Frye has led two placebo-controlled trials of the folate supplement in autistic people; the first was suspended by regulators, and the other has yet to be published.

By Brendan Borrell
1 October 2025 | 11 min read
Gerry Fischbach.
Neuroscience

Neuroscientist Gerry Fischbach, in his own words

In 2023, I had the privilege of sitting down with Gerry over the course of several days and listening as he told the story of his life and career—including stints as dean or director of such leading institutions as Columbia University and NINDS—so that we could record it for posterity.

By Ivan Oransky
30 May 2025 | 2 min read
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Photo collage of Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 1: Those people

What leads an autism researcher to publish an intentionally inflammatory paper accusing the NIH of discrimination?

By Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 24 min listen
Photo collage featuring Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 3: Would there be data?

Tempest McDonald takes a postdoctoral position at Vanderbilt University. Researching her paper accusing the National Institutes of Health of discrimination threatens everything she has built.

By Brady Huggett
18 June 2026 | 27 min listen
Two infants.

Cousin comparison parses genetic effects in autism

The approach helps reveal whether maternal genes contribute directly to autism in children or have indirect effects on the prenatal environment.

By Charles Q. Choi
18 June 2026 | 4 min read
Research image of X-linked RNAs in male mice.

Noncoding RNA sways core autism traits in mice

Small deletions in an X-linked RNA alter social and repetitive behaviors in male mice without broadly affecting learning or memory.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
11 June 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Key role of interferon 1 in maternal immune activation, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 June.

By Jill Adams
9 June 2026 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

A white brain model is surrounded by bright, detached sensory organs mounted on colorful wires.

Single-neuron recordings zoom into ‘blurry map’ of human motor cortex

The motor cortex is organized into an "intermixed jumble of tiles" to generate meaningful movement.

By Claudia López Lloreda
17 June 2026 | 5 min read
Computer code.

Exclusive: Neuroscience journal editor resigns over automation concerns

The editor resigned after the publisher’s artificial-intelligence system overrode his selection of referees for a manuscript. His move prompted an internal review of the system.

By Dalmeet Singh Chawla
17 June 2026 | 5 min read

Are computational complexity principles relevant for explaining brain activity?

Cristopher Moore discusses the nature of computation and whether we should think of neural activity as computing.

By Paul Middlebrooks
17 June 2026 | 1 min read