Katherine Gotham is assistant professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Katherine Gotham
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Rowan University
From this contributor
Measuring alexithymia in autistic people
Despite the growing interest in alexithymia in autism research, the tools commonly used to measure this trait may not work reliably in autistic populations. A new scoring method fills that gap.

Measuring alexithymia in autistic people
Suicidal tendencies hard to spot in some people with autism
To effectively screen for suicidality in people with autism, we need to learn how to ask questions that lead to real answers.

Suicidal tendencies hard to spot in some people with autism
Understanding aggression in autism
Two new studies explore the link between autism and aggression — a controversial connection that weighs heavily on individuals with the disorder and their families.

Understanding aggression in autism
How persistent worrying might cause the blues
When individuals with autism see themselves as impaired and get stuck on those thoughts, they may become and stay depressed, says Katherine Gotham.

How persistent worrying might cause the blues
Explore more from The Transmitter
Targeting NMDA receptor subunit reverses fragile X traits in mice
The subunit acts as a “volume control” on signaling that shapes the density of dendritic spines, the new work suggests.

Targeting NMDA receptor subunit reverses fragile X traits in mice
The subunit acts as a “volume control” on signaling that shapes the density of dendritic spines, the new work suggests.
Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage
Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.

Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage
Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.
2025 Brain Prize honors pair of cancer neuroscientists
Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler share the $1.4 million award for their discovery of synapses between brain cancer cells and neurons.

2025 Brain Prize honors pair of cancer neuroscientists
Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler share the $1.4 million award for their discovery of synapses between brain cancer cells and neurons.