ASHG 2013

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Recurrent mutations up risk of autism, related disorders

Autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability share certain risk genes, and mutations in these genes recur in multiple individuals. The preliminary results were presented Friday at the American Society of Human Genetics Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

By Jessa Netting
29 October 2013 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Hopping gene destabilizes autism-linked chromosomal region

Researchers have found the first direct evidence that a hopscotching gene destabilizes the 15q13.3 chromosomal region, and may be to blame for the region’s role in autism and other brain disorders. They presented the unpublished results Wednesday at the American Society of Human Genetics Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

By Jessa Netting
28 October 2013 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Headshots of Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.

How Nobel Prize-winning optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience

The technique has enabled neuroscientists to target brain circuits and cells with unprecedented specificity, transforming the study of memory, interoception, brain disorders and reward, among other domains.

Illustration of two cats jumping to opposite buildings in a city.

Is confidence a second thought—or part of the first one?

In some settings, neural circuits may calculate confidence in a decision simultaneously with the choice itself. That changes the types of questions researchers should ask.

By Ariel Zylberberg
5 October 2026 | 6 min read
Illustration of a plate with a cherry in front of a computer server.

What AI can learn from hunger

To enhance AI safety, take a lesson from biological brains; a small set of wants maintains durable control over a much larger cognitive system.

By Anthony Zador
5 October 2026 | 6 min read