Empathy
Recent articles
The case for redefining ‘theory of mind’: Q&A with François Quesque
In a new commentary, Quesque and 44 experts in neuroscience and psychology propose a standardized lexicon for research on the attribution of mental states.

The case for redefining ‘theory of mind’: Q&A with François Quesque
In a new commentary, Quesque and 44 experts in neuroscience and psychology propose a standardized lexicon for research on the attribution of mental states.
Larry Young built bridges with his social neuroscience research
Known for his work bringing oxytocin studies to the mainstream, Young died unexpectedly last month.

Larry Young built bridges with his social neuroscience research
Known for his work bringing oxytocin studies to the mainstream, Young died unexpectedly last month.
Setting up a frog colony and pair bonding with Lauren O’Connell
To become a scientist, O’Connell first needed to leave the family farm.

Setting up a frog colony and pair bonding with Lauren O’Connell
To become a scientist, O’Connell first needed to leave the family farm.
Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community
Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.

Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community
Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.
How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell’s approach to autism research
Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions.

How losing a parent helped shape David Mandell’s approach to autism research
Autism’s “fearless” researcher takes on the big questions.
Null and Noteworthy: Metacognition, balovaptan bust, pattern recognition
This month, we pore over null results from a study of the accuracy of emotion recognition skills in autistic people, clinical trials of a vasopressin drug called balovaptan, and an analysis of ‘systemizing’ abilities in autistic children.

Null and Noteworthy: Metacognition, balovaptan bust, pattern recognition
This month, we pore over null results from a study of the accuracy of emotion recognition skills in autistic people, clinical trials of a vasopressin drug called balovaptan, and an analysis of ‘systemizing’ abilities in autistic children.
Double empathy, explained
The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.

Double empathy, explained
The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.
Single neurons may power key ‘theory of mind’ skills
A subset of brain cells signal when someone tries to infer another person’s thoughts, according to a new study.

Single neurons may power key ‘theory of mind’ skills
A subset of brain cells signal when someone tries to infer another person’s thoughts, according to a new study.
‘Theory of mind’ does not fade with age among autistic adults
Autistic people's ability to understand another person's thinking does not diminish with age, as it does for non-autistic people.

‘Theory of mind’ does not fade with age among autistic adults
Autistic people's ability to understand another person's thinking does not diminish with age, as it does for non-autistic people.
Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits
Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns.

Book Review: ‘The Pattern Seekers’ links human invention — past, present and future — to autism traits
Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book is essentially a 272-page argument for his hypothesis that all human innovation stems from the ability to discern and manipulate causal patterns.
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.
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.
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.