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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Q&A

Conversations with experts about noteworthy topics in autism.

Previous articles
January 2017

Questions for Pua, Seal: What’s wrong with brain imaging work?

by  /  17 January 2017

Despite the completion of hundreds of imaging studies in people with autism, researchers have yet to find features that distinguish people with the condition.

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Questions for Daphna Joel: Brain sex differences may be mirage

by  /  3 January 2017

Instead of simply listing sex differences in the brain, researchers should consider how sex interacts with other factors to affect the brain, Joel says.

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December 2016

Questions for Joshua Gordon: Circuit solutions for autism

by  /  13 December 2016

The new director of the National Institute of Mental Health says work on brain circuits may yield treatments for autism.

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November 2016

Questions for Yael Niv: How to fight sexism in science

by  /  14 November 2016

Male scientists typically dominate speaker lineups at conferences. The skewed gender ratio stunts women’s careers — and progress in science.

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Mice in a house in a lab environment

Questions for Timothy Murphy: Mice take selfies of their brains

by  /  8 November 2016

By coaching mice to position themselves under a microscope, researchers can regularly peer into their brains without disrupting the rodents’ social life.

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female child crying

Questions for Bishop, Havdahl: Tantrums trick autism tests

by  /  1 November 2016

Children with low intelligence or behavioral issues — but not autism — may meet the criteria for autism on standard diagnostic tests.

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October 2016
Stained slices of a human brain

Questions for Ed Lein: Charting new territories in brains

by  /  11 October 2016

A new atlas provides the most in-depth look to date at the human brain.

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Questions for Rudolf Jaenisch: Creating mouse-human hybrids

by  /  4 October 2016

Despite ethical concerns, watching how human neurons develop in the mouse brain could help scientists understand conditions such as autism.

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September 2016

Questions for Rafael Yuste: How to rewire neurons with light

by  /  27 September 2016

Repeatedly activating a group of neurons causes them to fire as a unit on their own. Once the ensemble has formed, stimulating a single neuron triggers activity in the rest of the group.

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evolution of humankind

Questions for Evan Eichler: An evolving theory of autism

by  /  6 September 2016

A gene that raises the risk of autism in some people may also give humans an evolutionary boost.

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