2022 Azbee Awards of Excellence
Category
All Content > Enterprise News Story > Northeast
Awarded to
Grace Huckins, Reporter
Kristin Ozelli, Deputy Editor
Nichollette Zeliadt, Managing Editor
Hope Vanderberg, Copy Chief
Ivan Oransky, Editor-In-Chief
Entry details
After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link
Issue or publication date: 6/4/21
Publication name: Spectrum
Publishing/parent company: The Simons Foundation
Website home page: https://www.spectrumnews.org/
About the publication's mission and readership:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/about/
Description of the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:
In 1961, the late psychiatrist Daniel Freedman made what would become one of the most replicated — and most mysterious — discoveries in the history of autism research. Comparing blood levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in 4 non-autistic and 23 autistic children, he found significantly higher levels among the latter group. Since then, researchers have repeatedly identified this trait, called hyperserotonemia, in about a third of the autistic people they have tested, yet produced no clear answers as to why it occurs.
In this story, reporter Grace Huckins spoke with the small community of autism researchers studying hyperserotonemia in hopes of decoding one of the field’s most enduring mysteries — and she learned how new biomarker data could help them on their quest. Huckins’ reporting sparked a number of debates on social media and brought Spectrum’s core audience of autism researchers up to date on the conversation around serotonin’s role in autism.
Links to entry URLs
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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/after-60-years-scientists-are-still-trying-to-crack-a-mysterious-serotonin-autism-link/
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After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link
Category
All Content > Enterprise News Story > Northeast
Description
Publication name:
Spectrum
Publishing/parent company:
The Simons Foundation
Winner Status
- Regional Gold Award
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