Jonathan Moens is a former intern at Spectrum and a graduate student at New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. He studied philosophy and neuroscience as an undergraduate student at University College London in the United Kingdom. He received an M.Sc. in brain and mind sciences at University College London and École Normale Supérieure in Paris, France, specializing in cognitive neuroscience. He previously worked as a research assistant at the Neurospin laboratory in Paris and the Center for the Neuroscience of the Senses in London.
Jonathan Moens
From this contributor
Autism comorbidities reflect racial, ethnic disparities
Autistic people from historically marginalized races and ethnicities are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed with accompanying health conditions.
Autism comorbidities reflect racial, ethnic disparities
By
Jonathan Moens
19 January 2022 | 2 min read
By the Numbers: Autism in translation, rising prevalence figures, intelligence quotients
In this edition of By the Numbers, we discuss how translation alters a screening tool’s accuracy, the closing racial gap in autism prevalence numbers, and the preponderance of autism without intellectual disability.
By the Numbers: Autism in translation, rising prevalence figures, intelligence quotients
By
Peter Hess, Niko McCarty, Jonathan Moens
21 December 2021 | 1 min read
Autism without intellectual impairments more common than previously reported
Almost 60 percent of autistic people may have an average or above-average intelligence quotient, according to a new longitudinal study.
Autism without intellectual impairments more common than previously reported
By
Jonathan Moens
1 December 2021 | 2 min read
Rethinking autism assessments in the time of COVID-19: Q&A with Bishop, Zwaigenbaum
Moving most clinical assessments online during the coronavirus pandemic has created a digital divide while closing some geographical ones, say Somer Bishop and Lonnie Zwaigenbaum.
Rethinking autism assessments in the time of COVID-19: Q&A with Bishop, Zwaigenbaum
By
Jonathan Moens
2 November 2021 | 7 min read
Disruptions to brain’s ‘thermostat’ may underpin autism traits
Mounting evidence suggests that autism often involves upsets in homeostatic plasticity, a set of processes neurons use to stabilize their activity. These disruptions result from a range of autism-linked mutations and may help to explain the condition’s famed heterogeneity.
Disruptions to brain’s ‘thermostat’ may underpin autism traits
By
Jonathan Moens
18 August 2021 | 7 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Arousal neurons’ activity explains brain’s blood flow dynamics in mice
The findings could influence how researchers interpret signals from techniques that use blood flow as a surrogate for neuronal activity.
Arousal neurons’ activity explains brain’s blood flow dynamics in mice
The findings could influence how researchers interpret signals from techniques that use blood flow as a surrogate for neuronal activity.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
15 April 2026 | 4 min read
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
By
Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
By
Erin Calipari
14 April 2026 | 5 min read