Shafali Spurling Jeste is professor of neurology and pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. She is also chief of neurology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

Shafali Spurling Jeste
Professor of neurology and pediatrics, University of Southern California;
Chief of neurology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
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Leveraging the power of community to strengthen clinical trials for rare genetic syndromes
Families can become not only participants but champions of these research efforts.

Leveraging the power of community to strengthen clinical trials for rare genetic syndromes
Telehealth may enable remote participation in autism trials
Some families do not have the financial ability or time to participate in clinical trials for autism. New technologies may enable them to participate from their homes.

Telehealth may enable remote participation in autism trials
Reaching out to families can inspire new autism research
For students and early-career investigators, opportunities to meet and talk with the people they are trying to help underscores why the work matters.

Reaching out to families can inspire new autism research
How treating sleep may ease all forms of autism
Behavioral interventions and medications can help children with autism-related syndromes sleep better, but the treatments must be tailored to the cause of each child’s sleep disturbance.

How treating sleep may ease all forms of autism
Tennis program serves up benefits for children with autism
Tennis is a social game, requiring players to predict and respond to their opponent’s behavior. That may help some children with autism.

Tennis program serves up benefits for children with autism
Explore more from The Transmitter
INSAR takes ‘intentional break’ from annual summer webinar series
The International Society for Autism Research cited a need to “thoughtfully reimagine” its popular online program before resuming it in 2026.

INSAR takes ‘intentional break’ from annual summer webinar series
The International Society for Autism Research cited a need to “thoughtfully reimagine” its popular online program before resuming it in 2026.
Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.

Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.
How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.

How to teach this paper: ‘Neurotoxic reactive astrocytes are induced by activated microglia,’ by Liddelow et al. (2017)
Shane Liddelow and his collaborators identified the factors that transform astrocytes from their helpful to harmful form. Their work is a great choice if you want to teach students about glial cell types, cell culture, gene expression or protein measurement.