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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Profiles

Portraits of scientists who are making a mark on autism research.

Previous articles

August 2014

Uta and Chris Frith: A partnership of the mind

by  /  28 August 2014

British psychologist Uta Frith has singlehandedly transformed our understanding of autism. In partnership with her husband, neuroimaging expert Chris Frith, she helped launch the field of cognitive neuroscience and shaped a generation of scientists.

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October 2013

Tim Roberts: Sounding out a signature for autism

by  /  24 October 2013

Tim Roberts knits together physics, medicine and technology to trace the origins of language processing problems in the brain, hoping to identify a telltale signature, or biomarker, for autism.

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Elliott Sherr: Coaching teams to tackle autism’s mysteries

by  /  10 October 2013

Elliott Sherr is unraveling the effects of genetics and brain structure in a handful of disparate disorders that each illuminates some aspect of autism.

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May 2013

Simon Fisher: Hunting on the FOXP2 trail

by  /  20 May 2013

Simon Fisher made headlines in 2001 for finding the first gene related to language. He has been following FOXP2 ever since, and has found that it is important in autism and other psychiatric disorders.

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April 2013

Matthew Goodwin: Bridging disciplines for autism care

by  /  8 April 2013

Matthew Goodwin aims to use wearable sensors and computational techniques to help scientists understand hand flapping and other behaviors in children with autism.

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February 2013

Andrew Meltzoff & Patricia Kuhl: Joint attention to mind

by  /  11 February 2013

Husband and wife research team Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl have shown that learning is a fundamentally social process, beginning in early infancy.

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December 2012

Benjamin Philpot: Managing risks to reap big rewards

by  /  20 December 2012

Smart risk management has propelled Benjamin Philpot from one adventure to another, whether it’s attempting unusual drug screens, learning to rock climb or taking his family to see volcanoes in Chile. His optimism and scientific vigor have led to discoveries for the rare Angelman syndrome, and for the wider autism spectrum.

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October 2012

Thomas Bourgeron: Pioneering rare paths in autism genetics

by  /  25 October 2012

Thomas Bourgeron discovered the first rare mutation linked to non-syndromic autism, pointing to neuronal connections as prime drug targets.

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July 2012

Charles Nelson: Searching for early signs of autism

by  /  23 July 2012

Charles Nelson, who famously showed that social deprivation damages the developing brain, is analyzing brain waves in babies to study how different genetic risk factors might lead to autism.

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November 2011

Helen Tager-Flusberg: Decoding the language of autism

by  /  24 November 2011

The language deficit in autism is complex and diverse. With a no-nonsense and thoughtful approach, Helen Tager-Flusberg has devoted her career to sorting it all out.

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