Click here for the full list of Nordahl Lab publications.
Featured Publications:
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Autism, Big Brains, and Zebrafish?
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition commonly associated with difficulties or differences in communication, social interactions, and repetitive behaviors. Researchers have found that autism is largely influenced by mutations in genes; however, the diversity of traits among autistic individuals and the many genes found to be associated with autism makes it a challenge to study. To simplify the study of autism genetics, our MIND Institute lab led by Megan Dennis, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, focused on a subtype of autism associated with larger brains. This is termed disproportionate megalencephaly, with “mega-” meaning “big” and…
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Looking at gastrointestinal symptoms in autistic children over time
Children with autism have been found to experience more medical issues including gastrointestinal symptoms. In this study, participants in the autism group were more likely to experience gastrointestinal symptoms than their typically developing peers. They were also more likely to experience multiple gastrointestinal symptoms at the same time and more likely to have persistent gastrointestinal symptoms throughout their childhood. Increased gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with more challenges with sleep, communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors. Clinicians and parents should become more aware of the high occurrence of gastrointestinal problems in children with autism. If identified, these symptoms are often treatable…
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Sex differences in trajectories of cortical development in autistic children from 2–13 years of age
Learn more about the article from the MIND Institute press release: Researchers find key differences in brain development between autistic boys and girls The full article is published in Nature.
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Why do we need sex-balanced studies of autism?
Males are diagnosed with autism much more frequently than females, and most research study samples reflect this male predominance. The result is that autistic females are understudied. There is a critical need to increase our understanding of autistic females, both biologically and clinically. The only way to do this is to recruit sex-balanced cohorts in studies so that similarities and differences between males and females can be evaluated in all autism research studies. This commentary article written by Dr. Nordahl aims to The full article is available in Autism Research.
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IQ trajectories in autistic children through preadolescence
The study team developed techniques to collect MRI scans on individuals with all levels of intellectual ability. We found a brain network that is different between children whose IQ changed over time and those whose IQ stayed the same over time.
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Sex differences in areas of the brain connected to the amygdala
This study found sex differences between the network of regions that are monosynaptically connected to the amygdala.
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Differences in brain networks in 3-year-old autistic children
This study found differences between 3 year old autistic males and females in three networks that have been widely implicated in autism.
Other Recent Publications
Hatch B, Andrews DS, Dufour B, Alavynejad SM, Lee JK, Rogers S, Solomon M, Miller M, Wu Nordahl C. Hypothalamic volume is associated with dysregulated sleep in autistic and non-autistic young children. Autism. 2025 Nov;29(11):2885-2897. doi: 10.1177/13623613251352249. Epub 2025 Jul 9. PubMed PMID: 40631628; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12531386.select
Andrews DS, Dakopolos AJ, Lee JK, Heath B, Cordero D, Solomon M, Amaral DG, Nordahl CW. Cortical Thickness Differences in Autistic Children With and Without Intellectual Disability. Autism Res. 2025 Mar;18(3):486-497. doi: 10.1002/aur.3313. Epub 2025 Jan 30. PubMed PMID: 39887572; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11928918.select
Nishizaki SS, Haghani NK, La GN, Mariano NAF, Uribe-Salazar JM, Kaya G, Regester M, Andrews DS, Nordahl CW, Amaral DG, Dennis MY. m(6)A-mRNA Reader YTHDF2 Identified as a Potential Risk Gene in Autism With Disproportionate Megalencephaly. Autism Res. 2025 May;18(5):966-982. doi: 10.1002/aur.3314. Epub 2025 Jan 30. PubMed PMID: 39887636; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12123175.select
Surgent O, Andrews DS, Lee JK, Boyle J, Dakopolos A, Miller M, Ozonoff S, Rogers SJ, Solomon M, Amaral DG, Nordahl CW. Sex Differences in the Striatal Contributions to Longitudinal Fine Motor Development in Autistic Children. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 15;97(12):1150-1162. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.01.005. Epub 2025 Jan 14. PubMed PMID: 39818327; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12124950.select
Dwyer P, Sillas A, Prieto M, Camp E, Nordahl CW, Rivera SM. Hyper-focus, sticky attention, and springy attention in young autistic children: Associations with sensory behaviors and cognitive ability. Autism Res. 2024 Aug;17(8):1677-1695. doi: 10.1002/aur.3174. Epub 2024 Jun 5. PubMed PMID: 38840328; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11341259.
Restrepo B, Taylor SL, Dominic Ponzini M, Angkustsiri K, Solomon M, Rogers SJ, Ashwood P, Say DS, Caceres S, Alavynejad S, Heath B, Amaral DG, Wu Nordahl C. A longitudinal evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 2025 Nov;29(11):2832-2845. doi: 10.1177/13623613251362349. Epub 2025 Aug 28. PubMed PMID: 40877047; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12404668.
Kadlaskar G, Mao PH, Iosif AM, Amaral DG, Rogers S, Nordahl CW, Miller M. Patterns of Sensory Processing in Young Children with Autism: Differences in Autism Characteristics, Adaptive Skills, and Attentional Problems, in press, Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice
Davis K, Iosif A-M, Nordahl CW, Solomon M, Krug MK. Video game use, aggression, and social impairment in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, in press, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Waizbard-Bartov E, Ferrer E, Heath B, Rogers SJ, Nordahl CW, Solomon M, Amaral DG. (2022) Identifying autism symptom severity trajectories across childhood. Autism Research. Apr;15(4):687-701
A Rutherford S, Fraza C, Dinga R, Kia SM, Wolfers T, Zabihi M, Berthet P, Worker A, Verdi S, Andrews D, Han L, Bayer JM, Dazzan P, McGuire P, Mocking RT, Schene A, Sripada C, Tso IF, Duval ER, Chang SE, Pennix BW, Heitzeg MM, Burt SA, Hyde L, Amaral D, Wu Nordahl C, Andreasssen OA, Westlye LT, Zahn R, Ruhe HG, Beckmann C, Marquand AF. Charting brain growth and aging at high spatial precision. Elife. 2022 Feb 1;11.
Nordahl CW, Andrews DS, Dwyer P, Waizbard-Bartov E, Restrepo B, Lee JK, Heath B, Saron C, Rivera SM, Solomon M, Ashwood P, Amaral DG. (2022) The Autism Phenome Project: working towards identifying clinically meaningful subgroups of autism. Frontiers in Neuroscience. Jan17;15:786220.
Winder-Patel B, Tudor ME, Kerns CM, Davis K, Nordahl CW, Amaral DG, Solomon M. Often undiagnosed but treatable: Case vignettes and clinical considerations for assessing anxiety disorders in youth with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. (2022) Evidence-Based Practice in Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 7(1), 24-40.
Johnson EG, Mooney L, Graf Estes K, Nordahl CW, Ghetti S. (2021) Activation for newly learned words in left medial-temporal lobe during toddlers’ sleep is associated with memory for words. Current Biology Dec20;31(24):5429-5438.
Yarger HA, Nordahl CW, Redcay E. Examining associations between amygdala volumes and anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorder. (2022) Biological Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. Sep;7(9):916-924.
Godel M, Andrews DS, Amaral DG, Ozonoff S, Young GS, Lee JK, Wu Nordahl C, Schaer M. (2021) Altered gray-white matter boundary contrast in toddlers at risk for autism relates ot later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder Frontiers in Neuroscience.15:669194.
Lee JK, Andrews DS, Ozonoff S, Solomon M, Rogers S, Amaral DG, Nordahl CW. (2021) Longitudinal evaluation of cerebral growth across childhood in boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder. Biological Psychiatry Sep1;90(5):286-294.
Andrews DS, Lee JK, Harvey DJ, Waizbard-Bartov E, Solomon M, Rogers SJ, Nordahl CW, Amaral DG. (2021) A longitudinal study of white matter development in relation to changes in autism severity across early childhood. Biological Psychiatry. Mar1;89(5):424-432