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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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APRIL
9
2025
NEW YORK CITY
12th Annual Autism Science Foundation Day of Learning
9 APRIL 2025
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It’s just a loss to science, and it’s happening to so many terrific people. — LAURA ANTHONY, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS

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WHAT WE ARE READING
“I was diagnosed with autism at 53. I know why rates are rising."
By HOLDEN THORPE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
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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
GIF animation: 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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Research image of mouse brains showing altered migration of upper-layer neurons.

Restoring excitation-inhibition balance in a mouse model of autism; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 March.

By Jill Adams
18 March 2025 | 2 min read
Research image of gene expression.

Sequencing study spotlights tight web of genes tied to autism

The findings, shared in a preprint, help to illuminate how a large and heterogeneous group of genes could be involved in autism.

By Katie Moisse
13 March 2025 | 5 min read
Dendritic spine images.

Targeting NMDA receptor subunit reverses fragile X traits in mice

The subunit acts as a “volume control” on signaling that shapes the density of dendritic spines, the new work suggests.

By Angie Voyles Askham
6 March 2025 | 5 min read
A pregnant woman seen in profile, sitting on the edge of a bed.

Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage

Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.

By Charles Q. Choi
6 March 2025 | 3 min read
Research image of enlarged brain ventricles in a mouse model of hydrocephalus.

Vocal language development in genetically different twins; gaze behavior in face-to-face conversation

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 3 March.

By Jill Adams
4 March 2025 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

University of Puerto Rico building.

The future of neuroscience research at U.S. minority-serving institutions is in danger

Cuts to federally funded programs present an existential crisis for the University of Puerto Rico’s rich neuroscience community and for research at minority-serving institutions everywhere.

By Carmen S. Maldonado-Vlaar
28 March 2025 | 5 min read
Astrocytes in a mouse brain.

Unexpected astrocyte gene flips image of brain’s ‘stalwart sentinels’

The genetic marker upends the accepted orientation of non-star-like astrocytes in the glia limitans superficialis.

By Lauren Schenkman
28 March 2025 | 5 min read
Illustration of a line graph emanating from a beaker.

Null and Noteworthy: Reexamining registered reports

Out of 92 preregistered studies that resulted in published papers, only 15 had fully adhered to their preregistration details, according to a new analysis.

By Laura Dattaro
28 March 2025 | 5 min read