David Ledbetter is chief clinical officer of Dascena, a personalized medicine company.
David Ledbetter
Chief clinical officer
Dascena
From this contributor
There are no autism-specific genes, just brain genes
There is not yet a single example of a gene that, when mutated, increases the likelihood of autism but not of other neurodevelopmental conditions, including intellectual disability.

There are no autism-specific genes, just brain genes
Developmental disorders should be viewed as continuum
Intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia should be considered part of a spectrum of developmental brain dysfunction, says David Ledbetter.

Developmental disorders should be viewed as continuum
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Critics of a 2024 Nature paper suggest the authors failed to address the risk of false-positive findings. The authors argue more rigorous methods can result in missed leads.

Memory study sparks debate over statistical methods
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Attention not necessary for visual awareness, large study suggests
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People can perceive some visual information even if they do not pay direct attention to it.