Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsJennifer Foss-Feig, PhD
About
Research
Publications
2025
Neural tracking of social navigation in autism spectrum disorder
Banker S, Schafer M, Barkley S, Trayvick J, Chen A, Peters A, Thinakaran A, Gu X, Foss-Feig J, Schiller D. Neural tracking of social navigation in autism spectrum disorder. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 40930374, PMCID: PMC12828915, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.08.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderPosterior cingulate cortexParahippocampal place areaNeural trackingTypical developmentTemporal poleSpectrum disorderAutism spectrum disorder groupSocial decisionsSocial avoidance symptomsNon-clinical sampleSocial interaction taskConsistent with prior findingsSocial cognitive mapClinically diverse sampleAvoidance symptomsNeural differencesBrain systemsCingulate cortexExternalizing symptomsPlace areaSocial navigationAutistic adultsNeural activityDiverse sampleGenetic Subtypes of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Exhibit Similar Rates of Change Despite Differences in Level of Impairment in Developmental Constructs
Levy T, Farmer C, Srivastava S, Johnson K, Trayvick J, Brune C, Massa A, Silver H, Siper P, Zweifach J, Halpern D, Foss-Feig J, Bernstein J, Berry-Kravis E, Powell C, Sahin M, Soorya L, Thurm A, Buxbaum J, Kolevzon A, Consortium O. Genetic Subtypes of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Exhibit Similar Rates of Change Despite Differences in Level of Impairment in Developmental Constructs. American Journal On Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities 2025, 130: 395-413. PMID: 40858310, DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558.130.5.395.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPhelan-McDermid syndromeIntellectual disabilityBehavioral domainsDegree of intellectual disabilityBehavioral featuresLevel of impairmentDegree of impairmentIntellectual functioningDevelopmental constructsSequence variantsBehavioral abnormalitiesExpressive languageWithin-subjectAdaptive behaviorBetween-subjectsDevelopmental domainsSimilarity ratingsMedical featuresConsistent with previous resultsLongitudinal dataImpairmentGenetic subtypesGenetic variationGenetic groupsDevelopmental delayPhenotypic variation in neural sensory processing by deletion size, age, and sex in Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Smith M, Berry-Kravis E, Thaliath A, Isenstein E, Durkin A, Foss-Feig J, Siper P, Nelson C, Baczewski L, Levin A, Powell C, Pulver S, Mosconi M, Kolevzon A, Ethridge L. Phenotypic variation in neural sensory processing by deletion size, age, and sex in Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Journal Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2025, 17: 51. PMID: 40855273, PMCID: PMC12376477, DOI: 10.1186/s11689-025-09642-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInter-trial coherenceAuditory processing abnormalitiesEvent-related spectral perturbationReactivity to sensory stimuliDeletion sizeAuditory stimuliRepetitive auditory stimuliSensory processingGenetic conditionsEvent-related potentialsComparison of event-related potentialsPhelan-McDermid syndromeBackgroundPhelan-McDermid syndromeNeonatal hypotoniaElectroencephalography studyDysmorphic featuresInhibitory modulationNeurophysiological abnormalitiesMethodsA totalEarly recognitionSHANK3 geneClinical characterizationProcessing abnormalitiesDevelopmental delayImpaired processingDecomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs
Litman A, Sauerwald N, Green Snyder L, Foss-Feig J, Park C, Hao Y, Dinstein I, Theesfeld C, Troyanskaya O. Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs. Nature Genetics 2025, 57: 1611-1619. PMID: 40634707, PMCID: PMC12283356, DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02224-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenetic complexityPhenotypic complexityClinically relevant classesPhenotypic dataPhenotypic heterogeneityDe novoMolecular programsClass-specific differencesMechanistic hypothesesDysregulation patternsDevelopmental timeGenetic programmingComplexity of autismIndependent cohortClinical outcome differencesGenesMutationsGeneticsTraitsClinical outcomesClinical manifestationsPathwayMixture model approachInheritanceBiologyUnderstanding depression in autism: the role of subjective perception and anterior cingulate cortex volume
Hao Y, Banker S, Trayvick J, Barkley S, Peters A, Thinakaran A, McLaughlin C, Gu X, Schiller D, Foss-Feig J. Understanding depression in autism: the role of subjective perception and anterior cingulate cortex volume. Molecular Autism 2025, 16: 9. PMID: 39930465, PMCID: PMC11812218, DOI: 10.1186/s13229-025-00638-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAnterior cingulate cortexAutism spectrum disorderSelf-reported depressionAnterior cingulate cortex volumeCo-occurring depressionAmygdala volumeAutism symptomsSocial functioningCingulate cortex volumeSocial interaction taskSocial interactionSocial interaction behaviorClinically diagnosed depressionHeterogeneity of autism spectrum disorderSubjective perceptionHeightened self-awarenessAutistic young adultsASD adultsDepressive phenotypeSocial deficitsCingulate cortexCross-sectional natureSocial impairmentPrevalence of depressionASD individualsPhenotypic divergence between individuals with self-reported autistic traits and clinically ascertained autism
Banker S, Harrington M, Schafer M, Na S, Heflin M, Barkley S, Trayvick J, Peters A, Thinakaran A, Schiller D, Foss-Feig J, Gu X. Phenotypic divergence between individuals with self-reported autistic traits and clinically ascertained autism. Nature Mental Health 2025, 3: 286-297. PMID: 40084231, PMCID: PMC11896879, DOI: 10.1038/s44220-025-00385-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderAutistic traitsHigh-trait groupDecision-making taskIn-person sampleSample of adultsAvoidance symptomsSocial anxietySelf-ratingsSpectrum disorderAutism researchNeuropsychiatric traitsSelf-ReportAutismIn-personTraitsSocial tendenciesSocial influenceLaboratory settingClinical characterizationParticipantsAdultsClinical validationPerceptions of opportunitiesAnxietyA Family Peer Advocate Model to Address Disparities in Access to Care for Minority Autistic Children with Co-Occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Trelles P, Mahjani B, Wilkinson E, Buonagura N, Donnelly L, Foss Feig J, Halpern D, McKay M, Siper P, Buxbaum J, Kolevzon A. A Family Peer Advocate Model to Address Disparities in Access to Care for Minority Autistic Children with Co-Occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal Of Developmental And Physical Disabilities 2025, 37: 217-238. DOI: 10.1007/s10882-024-10001-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFamily quality of lifeQuality of lifeCaregiver stressCaregivers of autistic childrenIntervention groupFamily qualityCare of autistic childrenLevels of caregiver stressCo-occurring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorderWait-list control designAccess to careSystems of careAttention deficit/hyperactivity disorderAssociated with significant burdenParent empowerment programPrimary outcome measureClinically significant improvementCaregiver strainPeer advocatesService utilizationChild behavioral outcomesCaregiversOutcome measuresCareSecondary outcomesNeurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability
Massa A, Costales J, Rubeis S, Foss-Feig J, Hof P, Kolevzon A. Neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. 2025, 855-864. DOI: 10.1093/med/9780197640654.003.0063.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAbstract Autism spectrum disorderIntellectual disabilityAutism spectrum disorderSpectrum disorderNeurobiology of autism spectrum disordersAssociated with IDRepetitive behaviorsNeurodevelopmental disordersSocial communicationNeurobiologyInhibitory neurotransmissionSynaptic dysfunctionDisordersEarly childhoodASD riskGenetic factorsAnimal studiesASD genesNeurotransmissionGenetic studiesImpairmentDisability
2024
Investigating social orienting in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome and ‘idiopathic’ autism
San José Cáceres A, Wilkinson E, Cooke J, Baskett V, Blackmore C, Crawley D, Durkin A, Halpern D, Núñez M, Siper P, Murphy D, Foss-Feig J, Kolevzon A, Loth E. Investigating social orienting in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome and ‘idiopathic’ autism. Journal Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2024, 16: 64. PMID: 39563223, PMCID: PMC11575217, DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09564-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNon-social stimuliPhelan-McDermid syndromeNeurotypical childrenIdiopathic autismAutistic featuresClinical groupsOrienting responseSocial orientationBackgroundPhelan-McDermid syndromeMental ageAutism groupSocial stimuliStimulus typeMotivational difficultiesAutismDevelopmental delay/intellectual disabilityDelayed speechSocial interactionStimuliPMS groupConclusionsThese findingsGroup levelSocial learningChildrenAtypicalitySpeech and language patterns in autism: Towards natural language processing as a research and clinical tool
Trayvick J, Barkley S, McGowan A, Srivastava A, Peters A, Cecchi G, Foss-Feig J, Corcoran C. Speech and language patterns in autism: Towards natural language processing as a research and clinical tool. Psychiatry Research 2024, 340: 116109. PMID: 39106814, PMCID: PMC11371491, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderNatural language processingLanguage differencesLanguage patternsLanguage processingCharacteristics of autism spectrum disorderQuantitative measures of speechRate of speechMeasures of speechHeterogeneity of findingsLinguistic phenotypeLinguistic researchProsodic differencesLanguage idiosyncrasiesSpectrum disorderLanguage featuresLanguageNatural languageSpeechSubjective ratingsAutismReciprocal conversionAbnormal rangePotential implicationsClinical tool