Simplex families

Recent articles

Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Modified MRI; father findings

This month’s newsletter tackles null findings from an attempted replication of a “revolutionary” MRI approach and an analysis of family genetics.

By Emily Harris
22 June 2023 | 4 min read
An illustration of doctors examining a larger-than-life DNA strand

Whole-genome trove ties new genes, variants to autism

A massive update to the MSSNG dataset gives qualified researchers ready access to explore autism’s genetic architecture on a cloud-based platform.

By Isabel Ruehl
12 December 2022 | 4 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

Autism-linked genetic variants increase, decrease intelligence

Common and rare variants in or near autism-associated genes can have opposite effects on cognition.

By Laura Dattaro
19 October 2021 | 4 min read
Abstraction of human genome data with some sections circled.

Analysis ups estimate of spontaneous mutations’ role in autism

Spontaneous genetic mutations contribute to autism in 30 to 39 percent of all people with the condition, and 52 to 67 percent of autistic children whose siblings do not also have the condition.

By Laura Dattaro
27 September 2021 | 5 min read

Ultra-rare variants point to new autism candidate genes

A large, whole-genome sequencing study of families yields insights into ultra-rare genetic variants that contribute to autism.

By Niko McCarty
26 July 2021 | 4 min read
Paper DNA with one torn base to signify a point mutation.

Analysis links 98 genes to neurodevelopmental conditions

Genetic sequences from nearly 53,000 people with autism, developmental delay or intellectual disability reveal strong ties to 98 genes.

By Peter Hess
10 December 2020 | 4 min read

Decade of data dents idea of a ‘female protective effect’

Brothers and sisters of people with autism are both about two to three times more likely than the general population to have an autistic child themselves.

By Peter Hess
12 June 2020 | 4 min read

Fever eases behavioral problems in some children with autism

About 17 percent of children with autism are calmer and more communicative than usual when they have a fever.

By Alla Katsnelson
18 September 2017 | 5 min read
Illustration of DNA in cross-stitch pattern.

Sizeable fraction of autism risk traced to ‘mosaic’ mutations

Mutations that appear in only some of the body’s cells contribute to autism in about 4 percent of people with the condition.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
14 September 2017 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

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The Transmitter’s favorite essays and columns of 2024

From sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease to enduring citation bias, experts weighed in on important scientific and practical issues in neuroscience.

By The Transmitter
23 December 2024 | 2 min read
A curly line connects two pencils that are hovering over overlapping speech bubbles.

Say what? The Transmitter’s top quotes of 2024

“We’ve cured mouse-heimer’s thousands of times...”—find out who said this to a Transmitter reporter, and read our other favorite quotes from the past year.

By The Transmitter
23 December 2024 | 2 min read
Four microphones on a table with speech bubbles above them.

The Transmitter’s favorite podcasts of 2024

Our picks include a deep dive into dopamine, the role of PKMzeta in memory, and studying the stomatogastric ganglion.

By The Transmitter
23 December 2024 | 1 min read