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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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It’s kind of a non-transgenic transgenic. — KUAN HONG WANG, PROFESSOR OF NEUROSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER

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WHAT WE ARE READING
“The FDA’s Leucovorin Approval—A Departure From Evidentiary Standards”
By DANIEL G. AARON et al IN JAMA
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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
Amina Abubakar, dressed in yellow, stands outside and looks into the camera lens.
Spectrum Microphone

Amina Abubakar translates autism research and care for Kenya

First an educator and now an internationally recognized researcher, the Kenyan psychologist is changing autism science and services in sub-Saharan Africa.

By Ruth Kadide Keah
29 May 2025 | 7 min read
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Pyramidal neurons in the mouse hippocampus.

Sensory profiles in autism, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 19 January.

By Jill Adams
20 January 2026 | 2 min read
Research image of astrocytes in a mouse brain.

Alzheimer’s disease and autism; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 January.

By Jill Adams
13 January 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Profiles of neurodevelopmental conditions; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 January.

By Jill Adams
6 January 2026 | 1 min read
Illustration of people walking over colored circles on the ground.

Spectrum 2025: Year in review

Revisit some of the conversations and debates—on topics from leucovorin to the gut microbiome—that have shaped autism research in the past 12 months.

By The Transmitter
24 December 2025 | 2 min read
Neurons in cerebral organoids containing a MECP2 variant (right panel) have smaller cell bodies and fewer branches than those in wildtype organoids (left panel).

Autism in Kenya, organoid research, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 22 December.

By Jill Adams
23 December 2025 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

‘Peer review is our strength’: Q&A with Walter Koroshetz, former NINDS director

In his first week off the job, the former National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke director urges U.S. scientists to remain optimistic about the future of neuroscience research, even if the executive branch “may not value what we do.”

By Angie Voyles Askham
27 January 2026 | 7 min read
Chimpanzee neural organoid.

Viral remnant in chimpanzees silences brain gene humans still use

The retroviral insert appears to inadvertently switch off a gene involved in brain development.

By Siddhant Pusdekar
27 January 2026 | 5 min read

Why emotion research is stuck—and how to move it forward

Studying how organisms infer indirect threats and understand changing contexts can establish a common framework that bridges species and levels of analysis.

By Joshua P. Johansen
26 January 2026 | 0 min watch

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