SFARI | Author: cfeldsine

Simons Searchlight February 2026 Update: New Phenotypic Data Available

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to announce a new data release from Simons Searchlight aimed at improving the scientific understanding of autism.

A microscopy image of a human stem cell-derived hippocampal organoid.

Human Assembloid Model Reveals Region-Specific Effects of an Epilepsy-Linked Mutation

SFARI-funded research finds that demonstrates that SCN8A mutations underlying DEE-13 disrupt both cortical and hippocampal networks, but in distinct ways.

Image of the hippocampus was taken with an ultra-widefield high-speed multiphoton laser microscope.

2025 Autism Rat Consortium Meeting Held in New York City

On September 29, 2025, the SFARI Autism Rat Consortium (ARC) held its annual meeting in the Usher Institute of the University of Edinburgh. This year’s event brought together ARC PIs and trainees who specialize in the use of rat models.

Simons Searchlight Principal Investigator Wendy Chung of Boston Children’s Hospital meets with a participant.

Simons Searchlight at 15: A Researcher’s Guide

Simons Searchlight offers open-source data and tools to researchers worldwide who study autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.

Fellows-to-Faculty awardees speaking with each other.

Autism and Neuroscience Innovators: Awardees Share Their Research at the Annual Retreat

Last spring, members of the Simons Foundation’s Fellows-to-Faculty program met for the 2025 meeting to share their latest findings and make connections.

Fellows-to-Faculty awardee Tomasz Nowakowski.

Fellows-to-Faculty Alum Tomasz Nowakowski Studies Human Cortical Development

Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty alumnus Tomasz Nowakowski spoke with the foundation about his experiences with the program.

Fellows-to-Faculty awardee Gabriela Rosenblau at work in her lab.

Fellows-to-Faculty Alum Gabriela Rosenblau Dives Deep Into Social Learning in Autism

Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty Fellow Gabriela Rosenblau spoke with the foundation about her experiences with the fellowship.

3D digital imaging from Kinect point tracking.

Performance on a Specialized Video Game Distinguishes Children with Autism From Those with ADHD and Neurotypical Development

Photo of nerve cells in petri dishes. Neural wires have grown from the cells as they try to connect.

Cis-Regulation Therapy Rescues SCN2A-Related Neurological Dysfunction

An illustration of a person looking at a vase of flowers and a cup of tea.

Mapping Mouse Brains Points to How Autism Can Affect Expectation Updating

A new study finds that mice with variants in autism-associated genes have difficulty flexibly updating their expectations. The mice relied more on frontal brain areas associated with cognition and reasoning rather than sensory-processing brain regions to process prior information about the world. The results provide new insights into the neurobiology of autism.