SFN 2022

Recent articles

Single gene insufficient to account for dup15q, Angelman traits

UBE3A, a key gene associated with both autism-linked conditions, can explain most — but not all — of the syndromes’ atypical neuronal properties.

By Angie Voyles Askham
21 March 2023 | 0 min watch
Geometric black-and-white brain model over a grid.

Excess of ‘don’t eat me’ cell signals may drive brain enlargement in autism

The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head.

By Peter Hess
22 November 2022 | 4 min read
Light micrograph of microglia cells stained with Rio Hortega’s silver carbonate method.

Autism’s sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression

The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.

By Angie Voyles Askham
22 November 2022 | 3 min read
Grid of nine mri scans of mouse brains.

Shared brain structure, connectivity hint at autism subgroups

Using imaging methods to sort mouse models of autism may help identify subtypes of autistic people with similar underlying biology.

By Angie Voyles Askham
21 November 2022 | 4 min read
Image of organoids modeling CDKL5 deficiency disorder.

Organoids identify potential therapies, circuit flaws for autism-linked syndromes

Brain cell clusters serve as drug screens and reveal connectivity differences for autism-linked conditions, two new models show.

By Peter Hess
21 November 2022 | 3 min read

Subtyping autism using fMRI: A quick take at SfN with Marco Pagani

Pagani used mouse models to connect autism etiologies to brain connectivity alterations and then found similar alterations in people with idiopathic forms of the condition.

By Spectrum
18 November 2022 | 1 min watch

Zebrafish social behavior swims into mainstream

New studies bolster the idea that zebrafish models can say something meaningful about social behavior in autism.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
17 November 2022 | 0 min watch
An older woman with gray hair sits on a couch and speaks with a clinician.

Brain’s memory center flags autistic adults at risk for cognitive decline

Brain scans of the hippocampus reveal autistic people who are at increased risk of cognitive problems as they get older.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
17 November 2022 | 4 min read
Two white mice socialize.

Autism genes converge on disruptions in social brain circuit

The circuit linking the prefrontal cortex and part of the thalamus is impaired in mice raised in social isolation and in mice with mutations in the FMR1 or TSC2 genes.

By Peter Hess
17 November 2022 | 4 min read

Screening zebrafish autism models: A quick take at SfN with Ellen Hoffman

Zebrafish with mutations in 10 different autism-linked genes show a range of unique and shared phenotypes.

By Spectrum
16 November 2022 | 2 min watch

Explore more from The Transmitter

Headshots of Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.

How Nobel Prize-winning optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience

The technique has enabled neuroscientists to target brain circuits and cells with unprecedented specificity, transforming the study of memory, interoception, brain disorders and reward, among other domains.

Illustration of two cats jumping to opposite buildings in a city.

Is confidence a second thought—or part of the first one?

In some settings, neural circuits may calculate confidence in a decision simultaneously with the choice itself. That changes the types of questions researchers should ask.

By Ariel Zylberberg
5 October 2026 | 6 min read
Illustration of a plate with a cherry in front of a computer server.

What AI can learn from hunger

To enhance AI safety, take a lesson from biological brains; a small set of wants maintains durable control over a much larger cognitive system.

By Anthony Zador
5 October 2026 | 6 min read