Autism: Reading the Brain in the Face
The human embryo develops three basic germ layers, which each give rise to various and occasionally overlapping structures. This is known as the Germ Layer Theory, originally proposed by Karl […]
Tag Archives: autism spectrum disorder
Changes to Nervous System Patterning in Autism
A good deal of my recent work has been focused on studying deviations to neuronal identity in relation to autism etiology. Though we use the term “neuron” to describe large […]
Autism Research Is in Crisis and Doesn’t Seem to Know It
Once again, I’m returning to my readings in the Philosophy of Science, a field of knowledge that few scientists acquaint themselves with, though more really should. I’m browsing through a […]
Do Rare Mutations Play Important Roles in Common Conditions Like Autism?
The common disease, common variant hypothesis (CD/CV) stated that a few common allelic variants could account for the genetic variance in disease susceptibility, whereas the rare variant (CD/RV) hypothesis stated […]
Autism & Intelligence: Might Disability and Genius Have More in Common than Meets the Eye?
We’re all familiar with the caricature of the stereotypical nerd: male, glasses, nasally monotonic voice, pedantic, obscure sense of humor, highly intelligent, calculators spilling from every pocket, and woefully socially […]
When the Brain Is Under Stress, It Gets Excited Thanks to GABA
I’ve written previously about the dual excitatory-inhibitory roles GABA plays during development and adulthood. Interestingly, when it comes to many neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and epilepsy, we keep revisiting this […]
A New Study Reports that Microexon Expression May Be Misregulated in Autism
What is a microexon? The explanation may be slightly complex for those not familiar with the basics of genetics, so I’ll review a bit. First off, a gene is a […]
Some Tidbits on Shank3: What Role Does Its Mutation Play in Autism?
For as popular as the study of synapses and Shank3 have been in autism research, we are still fairly ignorant as to the roles this gene’s products might play in […]
Why Does Regressive Autism Occur When It Does?
“We took my son on a pilgrimage to the Bronx for an evaluation three months after he had a frightening regression in March. He had been receiving early-intervention services for […]
The Relationship between Premature Birth, Autism, and Stages of Brain Development
Although it’s well known that neurogenesis or the production of new neurons occurs throughout the lifespan, there are only a few select areas of the brain that continue to do […]
Science Over a Cuppa 
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