Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Peter Hess

Former News Writer

Peter Hess was a reporter for Spectrum from 2019 to 2023, where he covered cannabinoids, autism prevalence, social hormones and other topics. Before joining Spectrum in 2019, he was associate science editor at Inverse, where he wrote and edited stories for a broad audience on a wide range of scientific topics, including drugs, evolution and environmental science. His work has also appeared in The Washington PostNew ScientistPopular Science and Motherboard. Peter has an M.A. in science journalism from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. Find him on Twitter at @PeterNHess.

June 2023
A young woman sleeps at home wearing a Dreem headband and surrounded by stuffed animals.

Capturing autism’s sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable

by ,  /  6 June 2023

Next-generation trackers could realize a long-standing research dream: conducting sleep studies in large numbers of autistic people.

Comments
May 2023
A hand reaches from above to add a pill to a stack that is resting against the x-axis of a graph.

Going on Trial: Epidiolex for autism; arbaclofen tests; pain monitoring

by  /  30 May 2023

This month’s issue of Going on Trial takes a sneak peek at some early null results from a small trial of a cannabidiol-based drug for autism, among other recent drug developments.

Comments
Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele looks directly into the camera with a calm expression in a close up shot.

Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele

by  /  30 May 2023

A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.

Comments
Illustration of a watch with the face taken up by an MRI scan of a brain.

Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults

by  /  19 May 2023

Few studies have tracked how brain structure and function change across adulthood in people with autism. Carper and her colleagues are collecting data to fill this gap.

Comments
Research image of zebrafish forebrains.

Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish

by  /  12 May 2023

The findings add to the growing evidence that genes with disparate functions can play similar roles in brain development.

Comments
A photograph of Stockholm, Sweden’s old town at sunset.

Heading to INSAR 2023: New research and sessions to address simmering tensions

by  /  2 May 2023

The annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research in Sweden’s capital — which starts Wednesday — plans to tackle friction over terminology and research priorities.

Comments
April 2023
Illustration of a sheet of red and white pills, with the red pills arranged in the form of a question mark.

Going on Trial: Serotonin drug; psilocybin phase 2; placebo response data

by  /  28 April 2023

This month’s issue of the Going on Trial newsletter explores why it’s more fun to have a beer with friends than by yourself — and how that informs an ongoing clinical trial for autism.

Comments
An illustration of a scientist on a stage with a giant pill bottle that has been chopped in half.

Company on brink takes psilocybin to trial for fragile X syndrome

by  /  25 April 2023

The phase 2A trial has its detractors despite positive animal results and is being sponsored by a company that is struggling financially.

Comments
Illustration of a room with DNA sequence wallpaper and three doors leading to abstract new environments.

The future of autism therapies: A conversation with Lilia Iakoucheva and Derek Hong

by  /  14 April 2023

If a therapy for autism’s core traits makes it to market, it will likely take one of three forms, the researchers say.

Comments
Week of AprilApr
3rd
2023

Spotted around the web: CNTNAP2 gene; post-synaptic densities; animal models

by , ,  /  7 April 2023

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 3 April.

Comments