Pupillometry

Recent articles

Annimation of eye tracking application following the pupil in a man's eye.

Web app tracks pupil size in people, mice

The app relies on artificial intelligence and could help researchers standardize studies of pupil differences in autistic people and in mouse models of autism.

By Rahul Rao
8 October 2021 | 3 min read

Mice reveal roots of sensory issues tied to top autism gene

Mice with mutations in the autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 have trouble sensing touch, which may stem in part from brain-circuit alterations and dulled alertness.

By Peter Hess
23 November 2020 | 4 min read
Man working from home office.

INSAR 2020, from home

Like so many other events this year, autism’s biggest annual conference — the International Society for Autism Research meeting — was forced to go virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic.

By Spectrum
31 July 2020 | 15 min read
Close up view of human eye.

Autistic people may have trouble tuning out distractions

Pupil response suggests autistic people have atypical activity in a part of the brain that regulates attention.

By Laura Dattaro
4 May 2020 | 5 min read

Pupillary reflex in infancy may yield clues to autism

The pupils of babies later diagnosed with autism shrink more in response to light than those of their typical peers.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
25 June 2018 | 4 min read

Autism unsurprised; diagnostic camouflage; Neanderthal legacy and more

People with autism aren’t easily surprised, the social camouflage some girls and women with autism use may preclude diagnosis, and autism-related genes are rooted deep in human ancestry.

By Emily Willingham
4 August 2017 | 4 min read

Delayed pupil response to light may be early sign of autism

The pupils of preschoolers with autism are slow to constrict in response to light, a phenomenon that may serve as an early marker of autism risk.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
24 February 2017 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Shrinking pupils may mirror autism risk in babies

The pupils of 10-month-old infants who have a sibling with autism constrict unusually fast in response to flashes of light, hinting that this reflex could be an early sign of the disorder.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
20 March 2015 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Controversial study uncovers hearing glitch in autism

An ear muscle is more sensitive to loud sounds in children with autism than in controls, according to a study published 3 July in Autism Research. The researchers say this measure could serve as a clinical biomarker of the disorder, but others fiercely disagree.

By Virginia Hughes
29 July 2013 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Study links pupillary reflex, heart rate in autism

More than half of children with autism have a delayed pupillary response to light, along with a high heart rate and other physiological features, according an unpublished study presented Thursday at the 2013 International Meeting for Autism Research in San Sebastián, Spain.

By Laura Geggel
4 May 2013 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Two hands hold a paper airplane.

How will neuroscience training need to change in the future?

Training in computational neuroscience, data science and statistics will need to expand, say many of the scientists we surveyed. But that must be balanced with a more traditional grounding in the scientific method and critical thinking. Researchers noted that funding concerns will also affect training, especially for people from underrepresented groups.

By The Transmitter
10 November 2025 | 11 min read
Composite of headshots of neuroscientists who passed away in the past several years.

The leaders we have lost

Learn more about the lives and legacies of the neuroscientists who passed away between 2023 and 2025.

By The Transmitter
10 November 2025 | 4 min read
Stack of papers.

What are the most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years?

Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances, plus prizewinning work on analgesics, the fusiform face area and ion channels.

By The Transmitter
10 November 2025 | 11 min read

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