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
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
By
Calli McMurray
11 July 2025 | 4 min read
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
By
Shaena Montanari
11 July 2025 | 7 min listen
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.
By
Daisy Yuhas
10 July 2025 | 3 min read