Africa IMFAR 2017

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An Ethiopian family sitting for a portrait.

Studies highlight need to adapt autism tests for African cultures

Some of the items on a common diagnostic test for autism do not translate well to African cultures.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
11 September 2017 | 6 min read
Children in pre-school sitting around a learning circle.

South African children with autism may lack access to schools

Only about 0.1 percent of children in the Western Cape province of South Africa have autism, according to a review of school records.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
8 September 2017 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

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

PTEN problems underscore autism connection to excess brain fluid

Damaging variants in the autism-linked gene cause congenital hydrocephalus—a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain—by turbocharging a downstream signaling pathway that promotes the growth of cells, according to a new study.

By Holly Barker
3 April 2025 | 4 min read

U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

The reasons for selecting these researchers—who have led work on neuronal migration, dopamine receptors in neuronal signaling and the structure of ion channels, among other areas—remain unclear.

By Angie Voyles Askham, Sydney Wyatt
2 April 2025 | 5 min read