Spectrum: Autism Research News
Podcasts
Episode Two: Connie Kasari
In this episode of “Synaptic,” Kasari talks about the need for inclusion in educating autistic children, what drew her into the autism research field, and growing up on the family farm.
Episode One: Catherine Lord
In this inaugural episode, Lord discusses her entry into autism research, what the future of the field might look like, and how drama club saved her in high school.
Introducing ‘Synaptic,’ a new podcast from Spectrum
Explore the people, the science and the challenges in autism research.
Antihistamine aids myelination in Pitt-Hopkins mice
The drug clemastine and other compounds that fortify the protective sheath around neurons may prove therapeutic for some genetic neurodevelopmental conditions.
‘Polygenic risk scores’ for autism, explained
These scores — composite measures of a person’s autism-linked common genetic variants — cannot predict an autism diagnosis but could help researchers better understand the condition’s underlying biology.
Neuroscience journal retracts 13 papers at once
The papers were flagged by a method that has now been called into question.
Genetic background sways effects of autism-linked mutation
Experiments offer clues to why certain mutations are associated with autism in some people and not others.
Spectrum Stories
What it’s like to be a Black autism researcher
Spectrum spoke to four Black autism researchers about what it’s like to be in a field that’s overwhelmingly white, how police violence against Black people has affected them, and the joy of finding one another in ‘Black In Neuro.’
Spectrum stories: Life in lockdown with autism
Host Chelsey B. Coombs talks to clinicians and people with autism about their experience of the pandemic, how their routines have changed and some of the unexpected benefits.
Spectrum Stories: What social touch says about autism
Understanding how touch is altered in autism could yield an early marker of the condition.
Spectrum Stories: How social media aids discovery and diagnosis of autism-linked conditions
Social media is connecting families with researchers who study rare conditions related to autism — to the benefit of both.