Amy Esler is associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Amy Esler
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Minnesota
From this contributor
Why we need a mouse version of a diagnostic test for autism
Researchers have developed behavioral measures that can accurately diagnose autism in people; these lessons can and should be applied to mice.
Why we need a mouse version of a diagnostic test for autism
By
Amy Esler, Nicola Grissom
21 March 2018 | 6 min read
Adjusting diagnostic tests for the DSM-5
As clinicians adopt the new criteria for autism, the many tests now used to diagnose the disorder may need to be modified, says Amy Esler.
Explore more from The Transmitter
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
By
Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
By
Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
By
P. Robin Hiesinger
2 November 2026 | 6 min read