WTB 2011

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Space cadets

People with autism are better able to visualize objects rotating in space — perhaps because their brains are wired differently than healthy controls.

By Deborah Rudacille
18 April 2011 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Maternal stress alters behavior of generations

Early trauma alters both behavior and gene expression in three generations of mice, suggesting that epigenetic changes may contribute to 'hidden heritability' in neuropsychiatric disorders.

By Deborah Rudacille
18 April 2011 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Specialized neurons help explore circuit defects in autism

A powerful cell that dampens electrical signaling in the brain could help unravel the disrupted brain wiring seen in people with autism, according to results presented yesterday at the Wiring the Brain meeting in Ireland.

By Deborah Rudacille
14 April 2011 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.

By Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of a monkey pushing a button.

This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli

A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.

By Erin Calipari
14 April 2026 | 5 min read
Illustration of a sheet of paper with a topography map-like pattern on it.

Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain

These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?

By Juan Gallego
13 April 2026 | 8 min read