headshot of David Amaral.

David Amaral

Director
Autism BrainNet

David Amaral is distinguished professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute.

From this contributor

An illustration of a magnifying glass, checklists, and anonymous figures.
Spectrum

‘Prototypical autism’ research is likely a dead end

By Deborah Fein, David Amaral, Einat Waizbard-Bartov
25 January 2024 | 8 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.
Spectrum

Questions for Amaral, Halladay: Boosting brainpower

By Katie Moisse
15 December 2015 | 6 min read

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Remembering Barbara Finlay, ‘maverick’ of evolutionary neuroscience

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Crows have brains ‘in the fast lane’

The birds accurately complete decision-making tasks twice as fast as primates, although their endbrains look considerably different.

By Sarah Thau
22 October 2026 | 4 min read
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Prevalence of profound autism declines with new definition

The updated, more precise definition used in a CDC study includes adaptive scores.

By Brianna Abbott
22 October 2026 | 5 min read