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Illustration of a woman holding a pencil over a map.

Familiar autism-linked genes emerge from first analysis of Latin American cohort

The findings, detailed in a January preprint, suggest autism’s fundamental biology is the same regardless of ancestry. But questions remain.

By Laura Dattaro
20 February 2025 | 5 min read
Illustration of an X chromosome against a black background.

X-chromosome variants help explain autism’s sex bias

The rare variants are also linked to ADHD and Tourette syndrome, two other conditions that disproportionately affect boys and men.

By Charles Q. Choi
24 October 2022 | 4 min read
Illustration of two chromosomes with copy number variants.

‘Dosage sensitivity map’ predicts active ingredients in copy number variants

The catalog of rare copy number variants tied to autism and other conditions could help researchers identify which genes account for the mutations’ effects.

By Peter Hess
31 August 2022 | 4 min read
Conceptual illustration of a DNA double helix

Scans of sundry variant types uncover autism-linked genes

Troves of sequencing data reveal genes tied to autism through different variant types, providing a more complete picture of the condition’s genetic roots and new clues to its heterogeneity.

By Chloe Williams
18 August 2022 | 7 min read
Young patient speaking to counselor.

Q&A with Brenda Finucane: Building pipelines for genetic tests for autism

Most autistic people do not receive the medically recommended genetic tests for autism. Brenda Finucane and her colleagues want to change that.

By Angie Voyles Askham
17 August 2021 | 6 min read
White lab mouse sitting in a gloved hand.

Notable papers in autism research, 2020

Gene therapies and the factors influencing autism traits top Spectrum’s list of the 10 most notable research findings we covered in 2020.

By Spectrum
23 December 2020 | 4 min read
Stylized DNA molecule

Mutations in the same exon linked to similar autism traits

People with autism who carry DNA variants in the same protein-coding region of a gene have more similar cognitive abilities and behaviors than those who carry mutations in different regions of the same gene.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
17 December 2020 | 5 min read
Cells transporting NCKAP1 protein in and out of nucleus

Rare variants tied to neuronal migration, autism traits

Many people with mutations in the NCKAP1 gene have autism or autism traits, according to a new study spanning seven countries.

By Angie Voyles Askham
4 December 2020 | 5 min read
Group of DNA helixes are seen on black

Analysis combining variants, conditions uncovers hundreds of neurodevelopmental genes

The first genetic analysis of multiple types of variants from people with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions reveals hundreds of genes that may be linked to neurodevelopment.

By Laura Dattaro
2 November 2020 | 4 min read

Reactions from ASHG 2020

Get the inside scoop from the 2020 American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting.

By Laura Dattaro
30 October 2020 | 8 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Coins flow from a spigot.

Newly awarded NIH grants for neuroscience lag 77 percent behind previous nine-year average

Since President Donald Trump took office on 20 January, the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health have awarded one quarter as many new grants as during the same two-month period, on average, since 2016.

By Natalia Mesa
4 April 2025 | 5 min read
Raphael Yuste leaning on a bench in his lab. A red filter colors the scene.

Releasing the Hydra with Rafael Yuste

Losing HHMI Investigator status caused Yuste to study neural networks in a new way.

By Brady Huggett, Shaena Montanari
4 April 2025 | 10 min read
Glitchy image of a stamp.

Coding error caused layoffs at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke this week, source says

Thirty employees—including 11 lab heads—at the institute should “immediately return to work,” according to an email the institute’s Office of Human Resources sent to top administration at the institute Wednesday evening.

By Sydney Wyatt
3 April 2025 | 3 min read