Prenatal diagnosis

Human silhouettes are seen against a colorful, abstract representation of a genetic sequence.

How geneticists can gain greater buy-in from the autistic community

My recommendations aim to foster a collaborative relationship between researchers and the Autistic community, resulting in an increase in the availability of genetic data.

By Wrigley Kline
9 September 2022 | 7 min read

Fetal brain scans may forecast autism traits in toddlers

Children with highly folded and curved brains in utero tend to show autism-linked behaviors at 18 months of age, according to a longitudinal brain-imaging study.

By Grace Huckins
7 May 2021 | 3 min read
White lab mouse sitting in a gloved hand.

Notable papers in autism research, 2020

Gene therapies and the factors influencing autism traits top Spectrum’s list of the 10 most notable research findings we covered in 2020.

By Spectrum
23 December 2020 | 4 min read
Micrograph of nerve cells being targeted by CRISPR enzyme to activate the silenced gene in Angelman syndrome
Spectrum Microphone

Prenatal CRISPR therapy blocks Angelman syndrome traits in mice

A gene-editing treatment shows long-lasting effects in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition related to autism.

By Angie Voyles Askham
9 November 2020 | 5 min read
Ralf Schmid, the research director in Neurodevelopmental diseases at the Gene Therapy Program Orphan Disease Center, loads replicated mouse dna into wells in the gel before applying electric current to test the viability of the dna.
Spectrum Microphone

A quest for Quincy: Gene therapies come of age for some forms of autism

A gene therapy for Angelman syndrome stands at the forefront of efforts to treat autism-linked conditions that stem from single genes.

By Lydia Denworth, Brendan Borrell
14 October 2020 | 24 min read

Researchers map connections in fetal human brain

A new map of the fetal brain during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reveals the brain's complex network of connections.

By Chloe Williams
24 January 2020 | 2 min read
Illustration shows woman peering at her partner and child from behind a 'curtain' of genome sequence

The problems with prenatal testing for autism

As prenatal testing improves, it presents a host of thorny issues — from what to test and how to interpret the results, to what to do about them.

By Marta Zaraska
14 August 2019 | 12 min read

Ultrasensitive blood test may detect autism mutations in utero

A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
18 July 2019 | 3 min read
Illustration of a human fetus in a screening test

Prenatal sequencing for some autism genes may soon be available

Two new studies point to the possibility of detecting autism mutations before birth — along with all the ethical and logistical problems that may bring.

By Jessica Wright
10 April 2019 | 5 min read

Mitochondrial risk; anxiety amelioration; fever factor and more

Some variants in mitochondrial DNA are more common than others in autism, cognitive therapy reduces anxiety for people on the spectrum, and maternal fever in the third trimester is tied to autism risk.

By Emily Willingham
25 August 2017 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

A man walks a dromedary camel down a hallway.

Temperature tunes circadian timing in some desert mammals

Light has hogged all the attention in chronobiology research—but now, in camel, goat and mole rat experiments, temperature takes the lead.

By Calli McMurray
28 June 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of excitatory synapses in the prefrontal cortex.

Synaptic anomalies in autistic people support imbalance hypothesis

Increased excitatory and decreased inhibitory synapses in the prefrontal cortex of autistic people suggest broader impacts on brain function and connectivity.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
27 June 2024 | 4 min read
Research image of enteric neurons in zebrafish.

Opioid receptors may guide formation of gut nervous system in zebrafish

Fish lacking functional copies of the receptors have fewer enteric neurons than usual, but the findings await further validation.

By Olivia Gieger
26 June 2024 | 4 min read