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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Synaptic

Exploring the people, the science and the challenges in autism research.
RECENT EPISODES
Illustrated portrait of David Sussillo.

FORCE learning and finding an out with David Sussillo

1 December 2023

The senior research manager at Meta Reality Labs talks about neural networks and his time at the Milton Hershey School.

Illustrated portrait of Ardem Patapoutian.

Sensing touch, the immigrant life and Ardem Patapoutian

1 November 2023

The Nobel Prize winner talks about PIEZO 1 and 2, proprioception and the viral photo of him and his son from the 2021 Nobel Prize announcement.

Illustrated portrait of Brian Boyd.

Brian Boyd, classroom-based interventions and the importance of representation

1 October 2023

The leader of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute talks about what drew him into the autism field, and his departure from — and return to — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Portrait of Evdokia Anagnostou.

Evdokia Anagnostou and the concept of a good life

1 September 2023

The Holland Bloorview clinician and research director discusses how growing up on a small island shaped her career and the existential questions that keep her up at night.

The Transmitter Stories

Stories about autism, featuring experts, families and journalists.
RECENT EPISODES
Black-and-white illustrated portrait of Jonathan Green.

‘Emergent and transactional’: How Jonathan Green is rethinking autism and interventions

28 August 2023

The experienced clinician discusses writing his recent paper, and its reception in the field.

Black and white watercolor-style portrait of Cheryl Dissanayake.

The story of autism research in Australia: A conversation with Cheryl Dissanayake

25 July 2023

With the help of a generous benefactor, autism research in Australia is gathering critical mass.

Images of Marie-Eve Lefebvre and Punit Shah sitting at their laptops.

New journals seek to fill neurodiversity gap

8 March 2023

The two journals, although differing in initial support, both realized the need for a publication focused exclusively on the neurodiverse experience.

Triangle that looks like a play button in a delicate collage of squares and circles on a cream colored background.

Writing a ‘new history of autism’

8 November 2022

Spectrum talks with David Dobbs about researching his latest article, and what he found.

RECENT EPISODES
Research image of various types of cells.

Vast diversity of human brain cell types revealed in trove of new datasets

12 October 2023

The collection offers a glimpse into differences in cell composition — across people and brain regions — that may shape neural function.

A group of elementary school children run toward the entrance of a school, their backs turned to the camera.

Journal club: Why do some children lose their autism diagnosis?

9 October 2023

More than one-third of a cohort of autistic toddlers no longer meet criteria for the condition at school age, according to a new study, but the findings may not generalize because the cohort is predominantly white and affluent.

Photograph of a gloved hand pointing to a computer screen that is displaying an image of a mouse brain.

Uncertainty and excitement surround one company’s cell therapy for epilepsy

5 October 2023

After 10 years of work, Neurona may have the data to quiet its skeptics. But its ongoing clinical trial will be the ultimate test.

Research image of mutations in mouse cortical neurons.

Mutations in multipurpose gene deal dendrites a double whammy

4 October 2023

The mutations disrupt protein translation as well as the cell’s skeleton, according to a new study.