IMFAR 2012

Recent articles

Brain trust

Preliminary research shows that in people with autism, oxytocin enhances activity in brain areas that process social information.

By Emily Singer
1 June 2012 | 2 min read

In autism, head growth patterns vary by gender

Girls diagnosed with autism have slower brain growth in the first year of their life than typically developing children, whereas boys’ brains grow at the same rate as those of typical children, according to a population-based study in Norway.

By Emily Singer
24 May 2012 | 3 min read

New report finds DSM-5 criteria unlikely to exclude many

Contrary to previous studies, preliminary results from field trials of the new criteria for diagnosing autism suggest it will capture people on the high-functioning end of the spectrum.

By Emily Singer
24 May 2012 | 7 min read

Early data suggest antibiotic helps treat fragile X syndrome

Preliminary results from a placebo-controlled trial of the antibiotic minocycline in children with fragile X syndrome suggest the drug alleviates some aspects of the disorder, according to research presented Friday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Toronto.

By Emily Singer
19 May 2012 | 3 min read

Why it’s good to share your data

Neuroscience funding has plateaued, so researchers need to squeeze every drop from existing data.

By Emily Singer
18 May 2012 | 2 min read

Long-term project charts methylation patterns in pregnancy

By studying pregnant women who already have a child with autism, researchers hope to understand how epigenetic changes — those that affect gene expression but don’t directly alter DNA — during pregnancy influences risk of the disorder.

By Emily Singer
18 May 2012 | 3 min read

Giving fathers oxytocin boosts levels in babies

Two new studies on oxytocin, the so-called ‘trust hormone,’ suggest new avenues for using the drug to treat autism.

By Emily Singer
17 May 2012 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a funnel taking abstract shapes in at the top and spouting an organized flow of shapes out at the bottom.

To keep or not to keep: Neurophysiology’s data dilemma

An exponential growth in data size presents neuroscientists with a significant challenge: Should we be keeping all raw data or focusing on processed datasets? I asked experimentalists and theorists for their thoughts.

By Nima Dehghani
25 November 2024 | 5 min read
Piggy bank with half of its body replaced by a brain.

Neuroscientists reeling from past cuts advocate for more BRAIN Initiative funding

The director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health calls BRAIN a “high priority” but acknowledges that difficult decisions lie ahead if federal budgets remain flat.

By Angie Voyles Askham
22 November 2024 | 5 min read
A repeating pattern of orange butterflies against a blue background.

‘Huge influx’ of neuroscientists migrates to Bluesky

Daily neuroscience-related posts on the social-media platform this week have increased more than 400 percent, on average, compared with October.

By Calli McMurray
21 November 2024 | 5 min read