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Samantha Butler

@samanthabutler.bsky.social
2.3K followers 518 following 112 posts

Developmental neurobiologist: spinal cord, somatosensory circuits, stem cells, cell fate, axon guidance, regeneration Professor, @UCLA Lab website: butlerlab.neurobio.ucla.edu .

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Reposted by Samantha Butler
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
As you call members of Congress to raise concern about a Vought-led grant review panel, encourage them to sign onto proposed legislation that could help: 1) Follow the Science Act by @degette.house.gov would remove political appointees from the grant-making process: www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
congress.gov
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This Is a Five-Alarm Fire for Medical Research open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
This Is a Five-Alarm Fire for Medical Research
Future cures and America’s innovation lead are in jeopardy thanks to Donald Trump and Russ Vought’s latest scheme.
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Reposted by Samantha Butler
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What. A. Day. NIH grant-making was paused for several hours today. Not sure who gave the order. But in light of the Friday night Bhattacharya-Vought feud & threatened EO to implement #ScienceDeathPanels, my money is on Russell Vought. I learned of the pause from a colleague around 11:30. 🧵
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
An excellent piece from a group including fellow Bethesda Declaration signers. Appreciate the call for an increasingly democratic model of shared governance in public research funding. As well as the call for scientists to engage. www.aaup.org/toward-recon...
aaup.org
Toward the Reconstruction of US Research Infrastructure
Academia must organize now to secure the future of the US academic research enterprise.
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Nature @nature.com · 04/09/2026
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense. go.nature.com/4ycEbk8
go.nature.com
Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defence.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
When I was volunteering at the COVID19 vaccine POD in 2021, people would say over and over again that they were getting vaccinated for the people they love. Last year, only 17.5% of American adults got the COVID19 vaccine. Please get one for the people you love. 💕
Photo of a brunette with a braid in her hair, standing in front of a sign that says Vaccinated with a count of 30,000. 

She is wearing glasses, a Sun Studio t-shirt, and an orange high vis vest.
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Kevin Wright @kevinmawright.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is a impeachable/fireable offense for every single person in the administration involved
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Unlawfully stealing from our future health to fund a war that never should have happened. democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-r...
democrats-appropriations.house.gov
Defense Officials Attempt to Raid NIH Funds to Cover Department of Defense Activities
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has learned that officials at the Department of Defense (DoD) are working to divert billions of dollars from the National Institute...
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hellabores92.bsky.social @hellabores92.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Congress already appropriated funds to the NIH for specific projects. The defense department cannot divert these funds from the NIH. As taxpayers, we should know what interagency agreements have been made. thehill.com/homenews/hou...
thehill.com
Pentagon sought to divert NIH funds for defense use, top House Appropriations Democrat says
The Pentagon is attempting to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bolster the agency’s budget, according to the top Democrat on the House Appropria…
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
RED ALERT: The DoD is trying to steal the NIH funding that helps power American innovation, by finding cures for infectious diseases. We have to stop this. democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-r... @schiff.senate.gov @padilla.senate.gov @podsaveamerica.crooked.com @thebulwark.com
democrats-appropriations.house.gov
Defense Officials Attempt to Raid NIH Funds to Cover Department of Defense Activities
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has learned that officials at the Department of Defense (DoD) are working to divert billions of dollars from the National Institute...
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Please spread the news - the Department of Neurobiology at UCLA is hiring. This is an open rank search for all and any amazing neuroscientists! Please apply here by Nov 15th, first review end of October : recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11296
recruit.apo.ucla.edu
Open-rank tenure-track faculty position
University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!
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Sonya Neal @neal-lab.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Come be my colleague!! 🎉 We’re hiring an Assistant Professor in Developmental Biology at UCSD! If you’re doing exciting work in development or regeneration, come join us!! Please spread the word and apply! apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04591
apol-recruit.ucsd.edu
Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology
University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I wonder if there's ever been a political movement before that claimed that immigrants were all carriers of diseases and therefore needed to be removed from society? Eh, it was probably a really positive movement, not one associated with evil in any way
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The utter depravity of his callousness is astounding. Let me say for the record: Anyone who has followed him without comment no longer has the moral authority to be taken seriously on any issue.
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Thakur (a case about the termination of UC grants) has now been filed with the Supreme Court, which has until Sept 18 to accept it or decline to take the case. www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
supremecourt.gov
Search
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Out today with a piece with Max Stier of @ourpublicservice.bsky.social on how the Trump Administration is dismantling the scientific workforce, to the detriment of the American public. scienceandfreedomalliance.substack.com/p/the-trump-...
scienceandfreedomalliance.substack.com
The Trump administration is dismantling one of America's greatest strategic assets: its scientific workforce
By Jenna Norton and Max Stier
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 11/08/2026
It’s important to not lose sight of the massive damage the Trump admin has done to science. 🧵 And every week, there’s something new. Find ways you can #StandUpForScience at the link: zurl.co/ZciUv #SaveScience #Science #Trump #FightBack
The graphic contains a photo of Donald Trump in front of the White House, the red Stand Up for Science logo, and an arrow pointing towards the information of destruction the Trump Admin has done to American science. The graphic reads: "This is what the Trump admin has done to science in America."
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Kristen Kwan @blockintheback.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I am sincerely honored and excited to be named the Vice Chair for Vision Research at the @moraneyecenter.bsky.social at @utah.edu. I am thrilled to work with everyone to build upon the Moran's rich history in vision research. Stay tuned for much more to come - we will be growing!
healthcare.utah.edu
Moran Eye Center Names Kristen M. Kwan, PhD, Vice Chair for Vision Research
The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah has named Kristen M. Kwan, PhD, Vice Chair for Vision Research. In this leadership role, she will help guide the strategic direction of the Moran...
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tenuretracker.info @tenuretracker.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
University of Michigan (@umich.edu) is hiring: Assistant Professor - Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology #assistantprofessor #biology #molecularcellular
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 29/07/2026
Mark this well. A public servant who performed admirably in a crisis is being publicly persecuted, maybe prosecuted. Govt websites are being given over to propaganda. Fake medicines are being praised while lifesaving vaccines are lied about. Slanderous grifters cackle their triumph. Despicable.
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
A deep dive from @lisalsong.bsky.social on the harm of the proposed OMB fed financial assistance rule examining whether we could have achieved Nobel Prize level breakthroughs like the Higgs boson under such policies. www.propublica.org/article/fede...
propublica.org
How Trump’s “America First” Administration Could Shut U.S. Scientists Out of the Next Nobel-Worthy Discovery
A proposed White House rule would give political appointees unprecedented control over scientific funding. One physicist, who helped discover the Higgs boson, explains how the rule would’ve stifled th...
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Dorothy Bishop @deevybee.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Further analysis of Packalen & Bhattacharya article, where they claimed #NIH-funded research was slow to pick up on new ideas. I argue that their approach is flawed, and I present an analysis that shows the exact opposite. pubpeer.com/publications...
pubpeer.com
PubPeer - NIH funding and the pursuit of edge science
There are comments on PubPeer for publication: NIH funding and the pursuit of edge science (2020)
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UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability & most survivors never fully recover. Tom Carmichael, chair of Neurology at @dgsomucla.bsky.social, has identified a drug that mimics physical rehabilitation by restoring brain rhythms disrupted by #stroke. A pill for stroke recovery. t.co/a646Zo6j5c
A three-panel scientific figure comparing brain structures across three conditions: Sham, Stroke, and Stroke + Rehab. The top row shows high-resolution fluorescence microscopy images of green dendritic spines on neurons, displaying loss of spines after stroke and recovery with rehab. The lower panels present outline diagrams of the mouse brain mapping functional motor and somatosensory cortical areas (labeled cRFA, iRFA, and SS) with highlighted connections.
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Another damning admission on the Trump administration’s weaponization of government: the administration terminated grants of perceived political enemies. We all knew this was happening, but the admission and documentation in court is validating. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
So you’ve commented on the OMB rule. Here’s what needs to happen next if we don’t want to see this rule implemented: 1. Call your members of Congress. 2. Join the movement urging Congress to impeach and convict Russell Vought. actionnetwork.org/forms/civil-...
actionnetwork.org
Civil Servants Demand: Impeach Russell Vought
The Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is the central architect driving the destruction of your government. Russell Vought created lawlessness in every part of the Trump administ...
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 12/07/2026
🚨 HEADS UP: If you haven't submitted a comment on the OMB proposal yet, there's still time - but it's running out! There are only 1 days left to push back against Russell Vought's attempt to give political appointees unprecedented control over federal research funding. Take Action: zurl.co/eoQwY
Graphic from Stand Up for Science urging action on a federal funding proposal. Large text reads: "1 Days Left" and "Help Us Stop Vought From Destroying American Science." A portrait of Russell Vought appears beside the U.S. Capitol. A banner along the bottom reads: "Submit a comment on the OMB proposal | Link in bio to take action." The Stand Up for Science logo appears in the top left.
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Daniel Colón-Ramos @dacolon.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Help me speed the word! One of favorite conferences, taking place in Sept. Abstracts open until July21st! At a moment when science and scientific institutions are under attack, gathering as a community to share results, exchange ideas and reaffirm the value of scientific inquiry more imp than ever
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Looking for a great @cshlmeetings.bsky.social CSHL meeting this Fall? Abstract submission is open for "Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Connectivity" until July 22nd. Join me, @dacolon.bsky.social, Elva Diaz and @schuldinerorenlab.bsky.social at the bar! meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...
meetings.cshl.edu
Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Connectivity
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
"Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro as a commuter looks on, during the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr"
"Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro as a commuter looks on, during the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr"
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Cam Hostinar, Ph.D. @camhostinar.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
“Every dollar invested in NIH-funded research returned about $2.50 to the broader economy — a 250% return on investment.” “…sustained NIH funding has generated more than $822 billion in economic activity, supported more than 3.7 million jobs” academicmedicine.aamc.org/stories/how-...
academicmedicine.aamc.org
Client Challenge
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UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
UCLA's computational neuroscience community is growing! @marcustriplett.bsky.social is joining @dgsomucla.bsky.social Dept of Neurobiology, bringing expertise in statistical machine learning methods for neuroscience & computation in artificial & biological neural systems. Welcome to UCLA, Marcus!
Photo of Marcus Triplett
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Niall Stanage @niallstanage.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
This is a devastating interview. Scott Pelley tells the NYT that Bari Weiss directly put a “thumb on the scale” for Trump over the killing of Renee Good. Here’s his explanation of exactly what happened.
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Ariel Levine @ariellevine.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Posting for Vibhu Sahni: Due to unforeseen circumstances the Burke Neurological Institute will have to terminate its research operations 5/22. There are international postdocs on visas who are looking for new homes. Please reach out to Vibhu if you can help
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UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
We are excited that @marcustriplett.bsky.social will be joining the Neurobiology faculty @dgsomucla.bsky.social this summer. He has expertise in methods for perturbing single neuron activity with patterned precision using holographic approaches. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
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UCLA Neuroscience Theme @uclaneurotheme.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Axons (blue) must find the right neurons (magenta) for the spinal cord to develop. Postdoc Ev Nichols in @samanthabutler.bsky.social lab was awarded a prestigious AP Giannini grant to study proteins (green) that help axons along. Congrats Ev & wow, the cord is stunning! @dgsomucla.bsky.social
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 05/03/2026
When life gives you RFK Jr., PROTEST! Join us for our National Day of Action NATIONWIDE on SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH by joining your local rally, hosting a rally, or hosting a pop-up protest! Visit standupforscience.net/march7 to do all of the above and learn more! #standupforscience #March7 #science
standupforscience.net
Stand Up for Science: March 7th, 2026 — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
"“Hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you or why you don’t own a kelly bag,” [Roger Schank] wrote. To which Epstein responded: “It’s the tail of distribution , no really smart women – none.”" 19thnews.org/2026/02/epst...
19thnews.org
The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM
In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s “hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
“”John, the old conferences did not care about diversity. I suggest you not either,” Jeffrey Epstein wrote in response to an email about the programming. “The women are all weak, and a distraction sorry.”” 19thnews.org/2026/02/epst...
19thnews.org
The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM
In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s “hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Yes--that is famed neuroscientist Richard Axel zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/richard-axel...
zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu
Richard Axel
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
FIGHT
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Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
This is a genuinely huge, sweeping victory today for the University of California—or rather, for us, its faculty, acting through our faculty associations, while the UC itself maintained a strict policy of deer-in-headlights silence. The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
latimes.com
Trump administration drops appeal of court order blocking $1.2-billion UCLA settlement
The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a major higher education case in which a federal judge blocked its $1.2-billion settlement proposal to UCLA over alleged civil rights violations. It will...
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Matt McDermott @mattmfm.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
ICE is now responsible for 66% of the homicides in Minneapolis this year.
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Governor Tim Walz @governorwalz.mn.gov · 24/01/2026
I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Once it became clear that an ICE agent could commit murder in broad daylight with no consequences except the VPOTUS defending him with no heed to the facts and instead vilifying and prosecuting the victim, we opened the door to roving death squads. But there is no statute of limitations for murder.
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Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone. The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets. We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
NSF building on Eisenhower Av. HUD now owns. Destroying the NSF mural in the foyer. Of the Eisenhower building.
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Biozentrum, University of Basel @biozentrum.unibas.ch · 15/01/2026
Prof. Fiona Doetsch has been awarded the 2026 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine! Her discoveries reveal how neural stem cells support lifelong brain plasticity and repair. 🧠 Read more: www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/news/detail/...
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Institute for Protein Innovation @ipiproteins.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Localization in IHC for anti-Netrin-1 (from @samanthabutler.bsky.social @uclastemcell.bsky.social): buff.ly/8btHxg8
datahub.addgene.org
Addgene: Antibody Data Hub - IHC for Anti-Netrin-1 [IPI-NTN1.43]
Data report for Anti-Netrin-1 [IPI-NTN1.43] antibody in Immunohistochemistry (Rat)
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The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 24/09/2025
Huntington's disease has been successfully treated for the first time following positive results from a global clinical trial, on which Professor Sarah Tabrizi FRS of UCL's Huntington's Disease Centre was lead scientific advisor: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”
nytimes.com
Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.
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@LaBonneLaB @labonnelab.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
If only there was a study of Tylenol and Autism.... oh wait! "Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was not associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in sibling control analysis. " jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability
This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.
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