Eye tracking

Recent articles

A marble bust of a face that is covered in real leaves.

Newly found circuit through visual cortex powers first look at faces

The superior colliculus, an evolutionarily ancient brain area responsible for eye movements, responds to faces before the canonical face areas do, a study of macaque monkeys suggests.

By Olivia Gieger
19 July 2024 | 5 min read
A person sits in an experimental rig that examines eye movements.

Visual perception improves in the blink of an eye

Blinking—long considered a problem the brain must overcome to produce seamless vision—may actually be more of a feature than a bug, new research suggests.

By Angie Voyles Askham
10 May 2024 | 5 min read
A slice of a cerebellum.

Mutation in top autism-linked gene may alter eye reflex

The discovery could help clinicians diagnose children who carry mutations in the gene, called SCN2A, and gauge their responses to potential therapies.

By Charles Q. Choi
26 February 2024 | 5 min read
A child uses a tablet device

New tablet-based tools to spot autism draw excitement — and questions

Handheld devices promise to bring autism detection home, but many researchers urge caution.

By Charles Q. Choi
4 January 2024 | 8 min read
A hand reaches from above to add a pill to a stack that is resting against the x-axis of a graph.

Looking at eye tracking’s potential for clinical trials

This month’s Going on Trial newsletter explores how eye tracking might be used beyond helping with diagnosis, among other drug development news.

By Calli McMurray
28 September 2023 | 6 min read
An illustration of a hand placing letters spelling the word voice on a black board.

Debate unfurls over inclusivity and authenticity in research involving minimally verbal autistic people

Autism researchers can’t agree on how far to go to validate the input they gather from minimally verbal autistic people who use certain communication devices.

By Brendan Borrell
25 September 2023 | 11 min read
A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan

A new individualized approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation may one day be an effective treatment for social and communication difficulties, if the results from Duan’s small preliminary trial pan out.

By Angie Voyles Askham
11 September 2023 | 6 min read
Research images from an eye-tracking study.

Tablet-based tool to spot autism validated in two studies

The new tool could help clinicians diagnose autism in children younger than 3, the findings show.

By Charles Q. Choi
5 September 2023 | 5 min read
Noah Sasson, a thin white man, stands in a courtyard with his hands in his pockets.

Noah Sasson: Connecting with the autistic community

Intentional interactions with autistic people led Sasson to refocus his research.

By Rachel Zamzow
15 September 2022 | 13 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: An ineffective therapy and an effective biomarker

In this edition, a strategy to help autistic children adapt their skills to new situations shows no benefit, but an early-life autism biomarker does.

By Laura Dattaro
6 April 2022 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of the outlines of several different animals—including a fish, an insect and a rabbit—each filled in with a different color and overlaid with abstract patterns, lines and shapes.

Premature declarations on animal consciousness hinder progress

Overstating the evidence in support of animal consciousness could impede efforts to develop more accurate ways of assessing it.

By Hakwan Lau
18 November 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of a portion of mouse brain.

Stress warps fear memories in multiple ways

Expanding the bounds of a fear memory or linking it to a neutral memory can shape a mouse’s fear response, two new studies show.

By Claudia López Lloreda
15 November 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of overlapping silhouettes of two faces in profile facing a matrix of dots of various colors and sizes.

How to be a multidisciplinary neuroscientist

Neuroscience subfields are often siloed. Embracing an integrative approach during training can help change that.

By Austin Coley
15 November 2024 | 5 min read