RTNS 2012

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Better tools needed to assess clinical trials

The past few years have seen an unprecedented number of clinical trials for experimental drugs to treat autism-related disorders, most notably for fragile X syndrome. But as the trials progress, scientists are calling for better methods to measure the drugs’ effectiveness.

By Emily Singer
14 May 2012 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Trials and tribulations

Clinical trials for fragile X drugs should include a behavioral therapy component, says a parent of a child with the disorder.

By Emily Singer
11 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Compensatory mechanisms

Identifying genetic and other factors that protect children at risk of autism from developing the disorder could provide new avenues for treatment.

By Emily Singer
8 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Debate over quality of adult-derived stem cells rages on

As the use of induced pluripotent stem cells grows, researchers are searching for ways to make them behave more predictably. 

By Emily Singer
7 May 2012 | 8 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Complex case

Multiple levels of complexity make it challenging to develop drugs to treat autism.

By Emily Singer
4 May 2012 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Fast-forward

In the last three years, autism researchers have gone from sequencing single genes to whole exomes, as highlighted at the Translational Neuroscience Symposium in Switzerland last week.

By Emily Singer
27 April 2012 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Monkeys at Dutch primate center.

Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate

Science is forging ahead at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands, following a reversal of last year’s mandate to phase out primate studies. But researchers aren’t sure how long the reprieve will last.

By Lauren Schenkman
2 September 2026 | 5 min read

When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?

Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 September 2026 | 96 min listen
Research image of organoids.

Unconfounding genetic and environmental factors, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 31 August.

By Jill Adams
1 September 2026 | 2 min read