The Transmitter stories

Recent articles

Stories about developments in neuroscience.

Black-and-white illustrated portrait of Jonathan Green.

‘Emergent and transactional’: How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions

The experienced clinician discusses writing his recent paper, and its reception in the field.

By Brady Huggett
28 August 2023 | 1 min read
Black and white watercolor-style portrait of Cheryl Dissanayake.

The story of autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake

With the help of a generous benefactor, autism research in Australia is gathering critical mass.

By Brady Huggett
25 July 2023 | 1 min read
Images of Marie-Eve Lefebvre and Punit Shah sitting at their laptops.

New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap

The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.

By Brady Huggett
8 March 2023 | 42 min listen
Triangle that looks like a play button in a delicate collage of squares and circles on a cream colored background.

Writing a ‘new history of autism’

Spectrum talks with David Dobbs about researching his latest article, and what he found.

By Brady Huggett
8 November 2022 | 17 min listen
portraits of four black autism researchers

What it’s like to be a Black autism researcher

Spectrum spoke to four Black autism researchers about what it’s like to be in a field that’s overwhelmingly white, how police violence against Black people has affected them, and the joy of finding one another in ‘Black In Neuro.’

By Chelsey B. Coombs
22 October 2020 | 1 min read
two people social distancing

Spectrum stories: Life in lockdown with autism

Host Chelsey B. Coombs talks to clinicians and people with autism about their experience of the pandemic, how their routines have changed and some of the unexpected benefits.

By Chelsey B. Coombs
17 June 2020 | 1 min read
man's hand on woman's shoulder creating a sensory reaction visualized by illustrated lines

Spectrum Stories: What social touch says about autism

Understanding how touch is altered in autism could yield an early marker of the condition.

By Kaitlyn Schwalje
18 June 2019 | 1 min read
Illustration shows woman connecting digitally with other parents

Spectrum Stories: How social media aids discovery and diagnosis of autism-linked conditions

Social media is connecting families with researchers who study rare conditions related to autism — to the benefit of both.

By Kaitlyn Schwalje
6 May 2019 | 1 min read
Spectrum stories podcast logo.

Spectrum Stories: The benefits of genetic testing in autism

Finding a mutation linked to autism traits can have life-changing consequences for autistic individuals and their families.

By Ben Kuebrich
18 March 2019 | 1 min read
Boy during test with researcher

Spectrum Stories: Tapping intelligence in minimally verbal people with autism

Scientists are finding new ways to test cognition in autistic individuals who speak little or not at all.

By Ben Kuebrich
23 January 2019 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Sox different neurons.

Early trajectory of Alzheimer’s tracked in single-cell brain atlases

Inflammation in glia and the loss of certain inhibitory cells may kick off a disease cascade decades before diagnosis.

By Angie Voyles Askham
23 October 2024 | 8 min read
Research image of four brain scans with green areas indicating Parasagittal dura volume.

Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome; excess CSF; autistic girls

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 October.

By Jill Adams
22 October 2024 | 2 min read
A collage illustration of a woman’s face fragmented by a mosaic of X chromosomes, lines and shapes.

Brains, biases and amyloid beta: Why the female brain deserves a closer look in Alzheimer’s research

New results suggest the disease progresses differently in women, but we need more basic science to unpack the mechanisms involved.

By Rachel Buckley
22 October 2024 | 7 min read