Chloe Williams

Yellowknife

Science journalist | Past bylines @nytimes, @Spectrum, @hakaimagazine, @CabinRadio, etc | Not on here that much, also on Bluesky and Mastodon

Articles

New tool may help untangle effects of autism-linked genes

4 weeks ago | thetransmitter.org | Giorgia Guglielmi |Jill Adams |Chloe Williams |Holly Barker

A newly developed statistical tool offers a way to control for unmeasured confounding factors in investigations of the downstream effects of autism-linked variants. Researchers describe the tool, called causarray, in a preprint posted on bioRxiv last month.
Molecular changes after MECP2 loss may drive Rett syndrome traits

1 month ago | thetransmitter.org | Chloe Williams |Jill Adams |Katie Moisse |Angie Voyles Askham

Changes in gene regulation and expression precede alterations in neuronal function and behavior in mice lacking MECP2, the gene implicated in Rett syndrome, according to a new study. The findings shed light on the cascade of events that occur when MECP2 is lost and suggest gene expression changes likely lead to the neuronal and behavioral characteristics of the condition, the researchers say. Rett syndrome is a rare condition, usually caused by variants in MECP2.
Ketamine for ADNP syndrome; electrical gap junctions; echolalia

Aug 13, 2024 | thetransmitter.org | Jill Adams |Sarah DeWeerdt |Chloe Williams |Kenneth Harris

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 August. Contributing writer Share this article: Tags: Spectrum, Autism, Science and society, Spotted Ketamine alters gene transcription—particularly in signaling, immune function and RNA processing—in ADNP syndrome, molecular effects that may contribute to therapeutic outcomes. Spectrum has covered the therapeutic potential of ketamine in ADNP syndrome.
Sensitive test of autism treatment effects could enable comparison of different interventions

Aug 8, 2024 | thetransmitter.org | Sarah DeWeerdt |Jill Adams |Chloe Williams |Steve Ramirez

A 15-item test could strengthen research on early behavioral interventions for autism by enabling head-to-head comparisons of different approaches. In a proof-of-principle study, the measure, known as the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC), picked up social communication improvements among participants in two of the three interventions, using data from previously published trials.
Noncoding variants; trofinetide; microglia shapes

Aug 6, 2024 | thetransmitter.org | Jill Adams |Chloe Williams |Steve Ramirez |Joshua R. Sanes

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 August. Contributing writer Share this article: Tags: Spectrum, Autism, Science and society, Spotted Recessive, rare, inherited variants in noncoding regions of the genome contribute to autism. Spectrum covered previous work from the same laboratory in 2016.
Is it time to worry about brain chimeras?

Aug 5, 2024 | thetransmitter.org | Joshua R. Sanes |Brendan Borrell |Brady Huggett |Chloe Williams

As all neuroscientists know, a host of ethical, legal and technical hurdles make it extraordinarily difficult to study the human brain at the cellular and molecular levels. Yet such studies are essential if we are to understand brain function and dysfunction and design novel therapies—especially given the major differences between the human brain and those of more accessible model organisms. How can we move forward?
Brain patterning in utero may be implicated in autism, other conditions

Aug 1, 2024 | thetransmitter.org | Chloe Williams |Jill Adams |Brady Huggett |Gina Jimenez

Genes tied to a variety of brain conditions, including microcephaly, autism and schizophrenia, are expressed in organizers—regions that govern how neural stem cells evolve and differentiate into diverse cell types, according to a new preprint. The findings suggest the molecular basis for the conditions might emerge within the first few months post-conception—earlier than previously thought. Processes occurring before or shortly after birth are thought to underlie several brain-related conditions.
Chloe Williams

Nov 6, 2023 | thetransmitter.org | Chloe Williams |Brady Huggett |Gina Jimenez |Calli McMurray

Contributing writer The Transmitter Chloe Williams is a science journalist and editor based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and a former intern at The Transmitter. She writes about the environment and health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Hakai Magazine and Yale Environment 360, among other publications. She completed a master’s degree in the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University.
‘Retro-Cascorder’ tracks gene-expression timing

Aug 18, 2022 | spectrumnews.org | Chloe Williams
Scans of sundry variant types uncover autism-linked genes

Aug 18, 2022 | spectrumnews.org | Chloe Williams