Outlook: Autism

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Culture: Diverse diagnostics

The study of autism around the globe must account for a variety of behavioural norms in different societies.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
6 December 2012 | 10 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Perspective: Imaging autism

Several studies in the past two years have claimed that brain scans can diagnose autism, but this assertion is deeply flawed, says Nicholas Lange.

By Nicholas Lange
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Epidemiology: Complex disorder

Researchers are digging into the myriad causes of autism to refine its definition and find elusive biological signatures.

By Virginia Hughes
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Perspective: Brain scans need a rethink

Head movement can bias brain imaging results, undermining a leading theory on the cause of autism, say Ben Deen and Kevin Pelphrey.

By Benjamin Deen, Kevin Pelphrey
6 December 2012 | 5 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Treatments: In the waiting room

After years of making do with drugs developed for other conditions, doctors and scientists are eagerly pursuing drugs that target the social symptoms of autism.

By Michael Eisenstein
6 December 2012 | 13 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Diagnosis: Redefining autism

Draft diagnostic guidelines are raising concerns that mild forms of the disorder may no longer be recognized.

By Emily Singer
6 December 2012 | 10 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Adulthood: Life lessons

We know little about autism past adolescence, but a well-studied generation of children with autism will change that.

By Lindsay Borthwick
6 December 2012 | 9 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Child development: The first steps

Because infants born into families with autism are more likely to develop the condition, studying them might lead to ways to diagnose people in the general population earlier.

By Katherine Bourzac
6 December 2012 | 13 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Genetics: Searching for answers

Solving the riddle of autism genetics will require looking beyond the growing list of candidate genes to epigenetics and personalized medicine.

By Sarah C. P. Williams
6 December 2012 | 15 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Violet-stained neurons in a serial transverse section from an embryonic spiny dogfish, a bottom-dwelling shark.

Digitization of ‘breathtaking’ neuroanatomy slide collection offers untapped research gold mine

Thousands of histological sections of vertebrate brains—including from spiny dogfish, turtles and more—are newly available online.

By Shaena Montanari
22 January 2025 | 3 min read
Research image of brain organoids with astroglia formation represented in green.

Personalized medicine; astroglia organoids; fast track for fragile X drug

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 20 January.

By Jill Adams
21 January 2025 | 2 min read
Illustration of clinicians, a pill bottle, a speech bubble and shadowy figures.

Neuroscientists need to do better at explaining basic mental health research

The knowledge gap between scientists, health-care professionals, policymakers and people with mental health conditions is growing, slowing the translation of basic science to new treatments. Like lawyers learning to present a case to the court, scientists should learn to educate nonscientists about their findings.

By Omar Abubaker, Karla Kaun, Eric J. Nestler
21 January 2025 | 7 min read