Jessica Wright was senior news writer at Spectrum from 2010 to 2019. Her writing has also appeared in Nature and Scientific American.
Jessica has a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University.
Jessica Wright
From this contributor
Autism prevalence in the United States, explained
The bulk of the increase in autism prevalence stems from a growing awareness of the condition and changes to the diagnostic criteria.
Autism prevalence in the United States, explained
By
Jessica Wright
3 September 2020 | 8 min read
Analysis of sequences pegs 102 top autism genes
The number of top autism genes has risen from 65 to 102, based on an analysis of more than 35,000 sequences. And researchers are seeing the first hints of autism risk variants in the regions between genes.
Analysis of sequences pegs 102 top autism genes
By
Jessica Wright
24 January 2020 | 4 min read
Early life experiences may shift severity of autism
A child’s environment exerts a strong influence on the severity of her autism, a study of identical twins suggests.
Early life experiences may shift severity of autism
By
Jessica Wright
17 January 2020 | 4 min read
The link between epilepsy and autism, explained
Autism and epileptic seizures often go hand in hand. What explains the overlap, and what does it reveal about autism’s origins?
The link between epilepsy and autism, explained
By
Jessica Wright
21 October 2019 | 4 min read
Can preventing seizures alter the course of autism?
Experimental surgeries to prevent seizures may help scientists understand the link between autism and epilepsy.
Can preventing seizures alter the course of autism?
By
Jessica Wright
18 September 2019 | 17 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Among brain changes studied in autism, spotlight shifts to subcortex
The striatum and thalamus are more likely than the cerebral cortex to express autism variants or bear transcriptional changes, two unpublished studies find.
Among brain changes studied in autism, spotlight shifts to subcortex
The striatum and thalamus are more likely than the cerebral cortex to express autism variants or bear transcriptional changes, two unpublished studies find.
By
Holly Barker
11 December 2025 | 5 min read
What is the future of organoid and assembloid regulation?
Four experts weigh in on how to establish ethical guardrails for research on the 3D neuron clusters as these models become ever more complex.
What is the future of organoid and assembloid regulation?
Four experts weigh in on how to establish ethical guardrails for research on the 3D neuron clusters as these models become ever more complex.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
10 December 2025 | 7 min read
Insights on suicidality and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 8 December.
Insights on suicidality and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 8 December.
By
Jill Adams
9 December 2025 | 2 min read