David Amaral is distinguished professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute.
David Amaral
Director
Autism BrainNet
From this contributor
‘Prototypical autism’ research is likely a dead end
Efforts to define “frank” or “classic” forms of the condition build on several assumptions that the science has not yet borne out.
‘Prototypical autism’ research is likely a dead end
By
Deborah Fein, David Amaral, Einat Waizbard-Bartov
25 January 2024 | 8 min read
Questions for Amaral, Halladay: Boosting brainpower
A new network of brain banks aims to collect and disburse tissue donations to U.S. autism researchers.
Questions for Amaral, Halladay: Boosting brainpower
By
Katie Moisse
15 December 2015 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Revisiting the neural correlates of consciousness
Life happens in real time, but experience may be composed in ragtime—like the music genre, full of offbeat notes and uneven rhythms. The assumption that waking life consists of a “stream” of conscious representations has inadvertently led consciousness science to its current impasse.
Revisiting the neural correlates of consciousness
Life happens in real time, but experience may be composed in ragtime—like the music genre, full of offbeat notes and uneven rhythms. The assumption that waking life consists of a “stream” of conscious representations has inadvertently led consciousness science to its current impasse.
By
Francis T. Fallon, Michael Pitts
28 September 2026 | 7 min read
Grant review needs reform. How about we add an element of chance?
A process that uses a lottery system saves time, reduces strategic resubmission and accepts that, above a quality threshold, luck has always played a part in science funding.
Grant review needs reform. How about we add an element of chance?
A process that uses a lottery system saves time, reduces strategic resubmission and accepts that, above a quality threshold, luck has always played a part in science funding.
By
Adrien Peyrache
25 September 2026 | 6 min read
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
By
Alissa de Chassey
25 September 2026 | 5 min read