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Spectrum is the go-to destination for the latest news and analysis about autism research and a springboard for scientists and clinicians to forge collaborations that deepen our understanding of autism.

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NOVEMBER
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2024
SAN DIEGO
53rd CNS Annual Meeting
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We should avoid terms from daily life when we are doing science, because we need to define things more specifically. — FRANÇOIS QUESQUE

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WHAT WE ARE READING
"The power of human stem cell-based systems in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders"
By MEGHA JHANJI et al IN CURRENT OPINIONS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
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Spectrum

The perils of parachute research

Scientists who study autism in lower-income countries are working to end practices that exploit or ignore collaborators and communities on the ground.

By Linda Nordling
6 June 2024 | 11 min read
Research video of a zebrafish larva (zoomed in on the gut) being given glucose.
Spectrum

On the periphery: Thinking ‘outside the brain’ offers new ideas about autism

Neuronal alterations outside the brain may help to explain a host of the condition’s characteristic traits, including sensory changes, gut problems and motor differences.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
13 April 2023 | 20 min read
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Spectrum books

Chronicle of a Field Retold: Autism Science in Profile

2022
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Autism by the Numbers: Explaining its Apparent Rise

2021
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Research image of neuronal firing in cultured cells.

Aggression; Angelman syndrome; NLGN3

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 7 October.

By Jill Adams
8 October 2024 | 2 min read
Illustration of hands sewing red and white threads in a DNA-like pattern into a blue-gray fabric.

Untangling biological threads from autism’s phenotypic patchwork reveals four core subtypes

People belonging to the same subtype share genetic variants, behaviors and often co-occurring diagnoses, according to a new preprint.

By Holly Barker
3 October 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of neurons.

CRISPR upregulation of genes; interneuron migration; maternal COVID-19 exposure

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 30 September.

By Jill Adams
1 October 2024 | 2 min read
Headshot of Steve Silberman.

The legacy of Steve Silberman and his book, ‘NeuroTribes’

The writer’s empathic storytelling changed how society—and researchers—view autistic people.

By Emily Willingham
26 September 2024 | 8 min read
Research image displaying functional connectivity in zebrafish forebrains.

FOXG1 gene therapy; oligodendrocytes; stereotyped movements

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 23 September.

By Jill Adams
24 September 2024 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

New tissue-clearing techniques let microscopes peer deeper into living brains

Washing mouse brain tissue with a blood protein or complex sugar can illuminate cells 550 micrometers into the cortex without compromising its normal physiology.

By Calli McMurray
18 October 2024 | 0 min watch
Illustration of three columns of text with certain passages underlined and circled.

This paper changed my life: ‘Spontaneous cortical activity reveals hallmarks of an optimal internal model of the environment,’ from the Fiser Lab

Fiser’s work taught me how to think about grounding computational models in biologically plausible implementations.

By Megan Peters
16 October 2024 | 5 min read
Two mice fighting.

Synaptic changes shape winning mice into bullies

When a mouse repeatedly defeats its opponents, brain circuits that underlie aggressive behaviors develop more stable connections, helping to ensure continual triumph, a new study shows.

By Claudia López Lloreda
14 October 2024 | 6 min read