Spectrum: Autism Research News

The controversial theory that characterizes autism as the result of an ‘extreme male brain’ gets fresh support from a large new survey, but critics are skeptical.

A Duke University team has won $15 million to explore stem cells from cord blood as a treatment for autism. But experts caution that the trial is premature.

Untrained volunteers can reliably detect signs of autism in children by watching home videos of the children posted on YouTube, suggests a study published 16 April in PLoS One. But critics say fundamental design flaws in the study undermine its results.

Two new maps of the brain — an atlas of fetal development and a wiring diagram in the mouse — debuted 2 April in Nature. The maps may open new avenues of investigation into the genetic and neurological basis of autism.