Best Autism Science Foundation Podcasts (2025)

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This one’s for the girls 45:19

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3d ago45:19

45:19

This week, Drs. Casey Burrows from @UMN and Shuting Zheng from @UTexas discuss a new paper looking at sex differences in autism features from 20-40 months of age. A new analysis done with data from the Baby Siblings Research Consortium concludes that, early in life, girls with autism show differences in some autism features (like joint attention) c…

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Providing a Framework for Personal and Professional Growth in Medicine: Dr. David Kelly, HOSA-Future Health Professionals Board Chair 27:55

1d ago27:55

27:55

“You have to love what you do, especially in healthcare, and the earlier you find that, the better. So that’s why I love to see HOSA helping young people find what it is that they want to do,” says Dr. David Kelly, a fellow in oculofacial surgery at University of California San Francisco and HOSA’s board chair. You can still hear the excitement in …

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Essentials: Effects of Fasting & Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss & Health 43:56

3h ago43:56

43:56

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explore intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating, highlighting the positive benefits for weight loss, metabolism, organ health, circadian rhythms and cellular repair. I explain a practical framework for designing a time-restricted eating window that aligns with your lifestyle, exercise schedule and …

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The Transmitter's reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025 10:07

1d ago10:07

10:07

Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.

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Long-standing theoretical neuroscience fellowship program loses financial support 6:23

2d ago6:23

6:23

Funding from the Swartz and Sloan Foundations helped bring physicists and mathematicians into neuroscience for more than 30 years.

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Science & Health Benefits of Belief in God & Religion | Dr. David DeSteno 2:24:33

3d ago2:24:33

2:24:33

My guest is Dr. David DeSteno, PhD, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University. We discuss science, God and religion, including what science can and can’t reveal about the existence of God and where religious faith and science do and do not align. We also discuss why questions about life’s origins, miracles and the afterlife have persiste…

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Should neuroscientists 'vibe code'? 9:19

3d ago9:19

9:19

Researchers are developing software entirely through natural language conversations with advanced large language models. The trend is transforming how research gets done-but it also presents new challenges for evaluating the outcomes.

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Transforming Skin Cells into Neurons to Treat Alzheimer’s with Brendon Boot of Skin2Neuron 54:11

7d ago54:11

54:11

Greg and Matias interview Brendon Boot of Skin2Neuron. Brendon is a neurologist at Harvard and Mayo Clinic with prior experience as Medical Director at Biogen overseeing their Phase 1b Alzheimer’s trials. In this episode, we discuss: How skin-derived cells can be turned into neurons to repair the brain. Why replacing lost neurons may succeed where …

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How AI Is Aiding Earlier Diagnosis of Autism: Dr. Geraldine Dawson, Founding Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development 41:37

8d ago41:37

41:37

“We've been able to show that even by 30 days of age, we can predict with some accuracy if a child is going to have a diagnosis of autism,” says Dr. Geraldine Dawson, sharing one of the recent advancements in early diagnosis being aided by artificial intelligence. Dr. Dawson -- a leading scholar in the field and founding director of the Duke Center…

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Adult human cortex does not 'reorganize' after amputation 7:38

7d ago7:38

7:38

The results from a new longitudinal study contradict classic findings in monkeys but may not warrant a rewriting of the textbooks just yet.

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Essentials: Timing Light for Better Sleep, Energy & Mood | Dr. Samer Hattar 35:19

7d ago35:19

35:19

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Samer Hattar, PhD, the Chief of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms at the National Institute of Mental Health. We discuss how light powerfully shapes mood, sleep, appetite, learning and overall mental health by aligning—or misaligning—our internal circadian clock. We explain practical…

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Longer fMRI brain scans boost reliability-but only to a point 5:51

8d ago5:51

5:51

Around 30 minutes of imaging per person seems to be the "sweet spot" for linking functional connectivity differences to traits in an accurate and cost-effective way.

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Hitting city streets to record rat behaviors: Q&A with Emily Mackevicius, Ralph Peterson 7:03

9d ago7:03

7:03

Capturing the rodents' vocalizations and movements in the wild offers an opportunity to study naturalistic behaviors in a complex urban environment, Mackevicius and Peterson say.

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Using Stem Cells to Cure Autism, Epilepsy & Schizophrenia | Dr. Sergiu Pașca 2:23:29

10d ago2:23:29

2:23:29

My guest is Dr. Sergiu Pașca, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. We discuss the biology and genetics of autism, why autism diagnoses are increasing and recent progress in using stem cells to understand and treat profound autism and other brain disorders. Dr. Pașca explains “organoids and assembloids”—human s…

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Deleting data or stopping its collection will erase years of valuable brain research 9:19

10d ago9:19

9:19

An explosion in open-neuroscience datasets has created a new generation of researchers with expertise in data science. But new federal restrictions in the United States put their research programs in jeopardy.

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Addressing the Root of Burnout and Trauma in Healthcare Providers: Dr. Rola Hallam, Founder of CanDo and Trauma and Burnout Life Coach 37:32

15d ago37:32

37:32

"Burnout and trauma are not mental illnesses. They live in your physiology. They live in your biology. They live very specifically in your nervous system,” Dr. Rola Hallam says with a conviction rooted in her own successful journey to overcome the effects of chronic stress she accumulated during many years on the frontlines of humanitarian crises i…

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Essentials: Controlling Your Dopamine for Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction 38:37

14d ago38:37

38:37

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain how dopamine regulates motivation and provide science-based tools to help improve focus, discipline and overall drive. I explore how particular activities affect dopamine levels and discuss how the highs, lows and baseline levels of dopamine shape your motivation and long-term satisfaction. I also …

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The spectrum goes multidimensional in search of autism subtypes 9:29

14d ago9:29

9:29

Grouping people with autism based on shared features, genetics and co-occurring conditions may improve clinical trial outcomes, researchers say.

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Exclusive: Harvard University lays off fly database team 5:11

15d ago5:11

5:11

The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.

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This paper changed my life: Abigail Person on birdsong, feed-forward circuits and convergent computations 6:02

16d ago6:02

6:02

By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.

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How to Rewire Your Brain & Learn Faster | Dr. Michael Kilgard 3:09:50

18d ago3:09:50

3:09:50

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Michael Kilgard, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and a leading expert on neuroplasticity and learning across the lifespan. We discuss the need for alertness, effortful focus, post-learning reflection and sleep to induce neuroplasticity, and how dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin…

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The challenge of defining a neural population 8:55

17d ago8:55

8:55

Our current approach is largely arbitrary. We need new methods for grouping cells, ideally by their dynamics.

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Autism and diseases of the aging brain 12:18

18d ago12:18

12:18

As the autistic brain ages, is it more vulnerable to other brain disorders? Recent scientific discoveries in Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease show that there may be an underlying mechanism between these diseases and autism. However diagnosing someone with autism with an additional brain disorder, especially dementia, can be difficult. Th…

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Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships 8:13

20d ago8:13

8:13

The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.

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A Mother’s Legacy Inspires A Passion for Equity in Healthcare: Dr. Uche Blackstock, Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity 24:42

22d ago24:42

24:42

“Seeing that you can get through the most difficult times in life, succeed, and then also return to your community and work in service to your community was a lesson that has stuck with me,” says Dr. Uche Blackstock, the Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity and our guest on this inspiring episode of Raise the Line with Osmosis from Elsevier. …

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Essentials: Increase Strength & Endurance with Cooling Protocols | Dr. Craig Heller 36:19

21d ago36:19

36:19

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Craig Heller, PhD, a professor of biology at Stanford University and a world expert on the science of temperature regulation. We discuss how the body and brain regulate temperature in different conditions and why conventional cooling methods, such as placing ice packs on the neck, do not effe…

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Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal 5:07

21d ago5:07

5:07

The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.

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Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex 5:52

22d ago5:52

5:52

The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.

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How to Control Your Cortisol & Overcome Burnout 2:16:36

25d ago2:16:36

2:16:36

In this episode, I explain cortisol and science-based protocols for properly setting your cortisol rhythm, which can significantly increase your daytime energy, focus, mood, and stress resilience, while also improving your sleep quality. Most people mistakenly think cortisol is bad, and many assume their levels are too high, when in fact many healt…

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Neural population-based approaches have opened new windows into neural computations and behavior 8:28

24d ago8:28

8:28

Neural manifold properties can help us understand how animal brains deal with complex information, execute flexible behaviors and reuse common computations.

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Lessons From the Frontlines of Humanitarian Crises: Dr. Joanne Liu, Former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières and Author of Ebola, Bombs and Migrants 32:48

29d ago32:48

32:48

“Pandemics are a political choice. We will not be able to prevent every disease outbreak or epidemic but we can prevent an epidemic from becoming a pandemic,” says Dr. Joanne Liu, the former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders and a professor in the School of Population and Global Health at McGill University.…

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Essentials: ADHD & How Anyone Can Improve Their Focus 42:41

29d ago42:41

42:41

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explore the biology and psychology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and discuss both prescription and non-prescription treatment options. I discuss the neural circuits involved in attention and concentration, emphasizing dopamine's role in regulating and coordinating focus. I explain how…

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Poor image quality introduces systematic bias into large neuroimaging datasets 6:44

28d ago6:44

6:44

Analyses that include low-quality MRI data underestimate cortical thickness and overestimate cortical surface area, according to new findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

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Eye puffs prompt separable sensory, affective brain responses in mice, people 8:16

1M ago8:16

8:16

Post-puff brain state might not be an emotion, some researchers caution, but the protocol provides a cross-species approach to study emotions.

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Male vs. Female Brain Differences & How They Arise From Genes & Hormones | Dr. Nirao Shah 2:26:58

1M ago2:26:58

2:26:58

My guest is Dr. Nirao Shah, MD, PhD, a professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. We discuss how the brains of males and females differ and how those differences arise from different genes and hormones during fetal development, in childhood and adulthood. We discuss what drives male- ver…

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What U.S. science stands to lose without international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers 7:21

1M ago7:21

7:21

Neuroscience in other countries will strengthen—at the United States’ expense—as rising visa restrictions and rejections block many international students from enrolling at U.S. institutions and dissuade others from applying.

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What labels should be used to describe autism? 23:09

1M ago23:09

23:09

This week’s podcast includes summaries from two new scientific studies (with comments from one of the studies’ authors @SimonsFoundation and @princetonPPH) about that tackle grouping and labeling the differences across the spectrum into meaningful subtypes. Both provide scientific evidence, including behavioral and biological data, that support the…

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New dopamine sensor powers three-color imaging in live animals 4:55

1M ago4:55

4:55

The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.

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Rare Disease Parents Create a New Model for Drug Development: Nicole Johnson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FOXG1 Research Foundation 28:56

1M ago28:56

28:56

“As parents dedicated to getting a treatment for our children in their lifetimes, we have turned the rare disease drug development landscape upside down and created a new model,” says Nicole Johnson, co-founder and executive director of the FOXG1 Research Foundation. That’s not an exaggeration, as the foundation is on track to make history as it be…

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Essentials: Psychedelics for Treating Mental Disorders | Dr. Matthew Johnson 39:09

1M ago39:09

39:09

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Matthew Johnson, PhD, a senior researcher for the Center of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment at Sheppard Pratt’s Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. We explore the science and therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicine, including psilocybin, MDMA and LSD. W…