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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Q&A

Conversations with experts about noteworthy topics in autism.

A scientist looks into a microscope

Raising the bar for stem cell research: Q&A with Jack Mosher

by  /  10 October 2023

New quality benchmarks for basic research involving stem cells promise to improve rigor and reproducibility, says Mosher, who helped develop the standards.

Previous articles
September 2023
A patient receives transcranial magnetic stimulation

Magnetic stimulation for autism: Q&A with Xujun Duan

by  /  11 September 2023

A new individualized approach to transcranial magnetic stimulation may one day be an effective treatment for social and communication difficulties, if the results from Duan’s small preliminary trial pan out.

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August 2023
Justin West holding his son.

Progress amid setbacks in drug trials for rare forms of epilepsy: Q&A with Justin West

by  /  30 August 2023

Despite grave side effects, it’s vital to keep developing treatments for rare genetic forms of childhood epilepsy, says West, president of the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation and father of a son with the condition.

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June 2023
A dentist examines a young girl’s teeth.

Easing sensory sensitivities in the clinic: Q&A with Leah Stein Duker

by  /  30 June 2023

Dentist or doctor visits can overwhelm autistic children with sensory sensitivities. Occupational therapy can help, Stein Duker says.

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May 2023
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.

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April 2023
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.

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March 2023
Illustration of a single patient in a clinical trial sitting on a bed in a glitchy, imperfectly rendered room.

Lessons from n-of-1 trials: A conversation with Joseph Gleeson

by  /  30 March 2023

Some conditions are too rare for conventional drug trials, leading some scientists to test bespoke treatments in single participants. Gleeson discusses the merits — and limitations — of these tiny trials.

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February 2023
MRI scan of a 2-year-old child.

Mapping genetic influences on the infant brain: A chat with Rebecca Knickmeyer

by  /  27 February 2023

Researchers know little about the ways genetic variants affect development in the infant brain. Knickmeyer, who launched the Organization for Imaging Genomics in Infancy, has spent the past five years trying to close the gap.

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A group of children walk up stairs

Filling autism knowledge gaps in Latin America: Q&A with Cecilia Montiel-Nava

by  /  13 February 2023

Countries across Latin America and the Caribbean struggle to collect data on autism, but Cecilia Montiel-Nava and the Latin American Autism Spectrum Network are beginning to change that.

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January 2023
An illustration of a questionnaire that is slightly visually distorted

Tempering tales of a new autism measure: A conversation with Thomas Frazier

by  /  20 January 2023

The questionnaire, designed to screen children for autism, isn’t ready for clinical use without further validation, contrary to what some overblown newspaper headlines reported.

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Image of neurons during a seizure.

Calming neurons to quell seizures: Q&A with Gabriele Lignani and Dimitri Kullmann

by  /  3 January 2023

A new gene therapy approach for epilepsy tamps down neural activity on demand.

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    Genes

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    The Brain

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    Diagnosis

  • Signs and Symptoms

    Signs & Symptoms

  • Treatments

    Treatments

  • Environment

    Environment

  • Science and Society

    Science & Society