IMFAR 2014

Recent articles

Rats with mutant SHANK genes show autism-like behaviors

Researchers have engineered two new rats with mutations in a family of genes that function at neuronal junctions, they reported today at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
16 February 2017 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Takeaways from IMFAR 2014

A focus on adults with autism and on junior researchers in the field were two of the themes at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, Georgia.

By Greg Boustead
22 May 2014 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Distinct differences mark male, female autism brains

Male and female preschoolers with autism have distinct sets of brain regions that distinguish them from typically developing controls, according to unpublished research presented Saturday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
20 May 2014 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Autism gene may be key to discovering new candidates

CHD8, a gene that has emerged as one of the strongest risk factors for autism, regulates the expression of more than half of a set of 'high-confidence' risk genes for the disorder. The unpublished data were presented Saturday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
19 May 2014 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Autism development may be obscured by parents’ memory

Parents may notice a loss of skills in their children as it is happening, but do not recall it clearly later on. The unpublished research, presented yesterday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, hints at a fatal flaw in diagnostic tools for autism that rely on parents’ memory.

By Jessica Wright
17 May 2014 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Some infants at risk of autism show improvements at 9 months

Some infant siblings of children with autism initially behave like children with the disorder, but show improvements in their social skills around 9 months of age. The unpublished research, presented yesterday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, suggests that these children possess a “resilience” that keeps them from developing autism. 

By Jessica Wright
17 May 2014 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Adults with autism may have high burden of health problems

Adults with autism may suffer from various health problems, ranging from psychiatric conditions to motor symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s disease, according to two studies presented Thursday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
17 May 2014 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Autism-linked chromosomal region regulates brain size

The genes in 16p11.2, the autism-linked region on chromosome 16, may directly affect brain size early in development, according to unpublished research presented Thursday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.

By Jessica Wright
16 May 2014 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Reactions from IMFAR 2014

Daily updates and reactions from attendees at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, Georgia.

By Greg Boustead
16 May 2014 | 9 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Cara Pugliese.

Autism program chief among National Institutes of Health layoffs

The termination is one of more than 1,000 employee cuts at the U.S. agency this week.

By Rachel Zamzow
21 February 2025 | 3 min read
Illustration of columns of text with eyes peeking out from behind the central column to look at a bright blue spot.

This paper changed my Life: Bill Newsome reflects on a quadrilogy of classic visual perception studies

The 1970s papers from Goldberg and Wurtz made ambitious mechanistic studies of higher brain functions seem feasible.

By Bill Newsome
21 February 2025 | 6 min read
Interconnected lines form a world map.

Science must step away from nationally managed infrastructure

Scientific data and independence are at risk. We need to work with community-driven services and university libraries to create new multi-country organizations that are resilient to political interference.

By Dan Goodman
20 February 2025 | 7 min read