Spectrum: Autism Research News

Infection during pregnancy may blunt the growth of neurons in the fetus by boosting levels of the chemical messenger serotonin.

Each of the various breathing difficulties seen in people with Rett syndrome may arise from a distinct circuit in the brainstem.

Preschool-age children with autism who have severe repetitive behaviors and intensely restricted interests tend to lag intellectually and struggle with daily living skills later on.

The rate of autism among 4-year-olds is lower than that among 8-year-olds, suggesting that many children go undiagnosed until they start school.

Despite the exit of its leader, the National Institute of Mental Health is moving forward with plans for a new system to classify mental illness.

Prairie vole pups exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine in the womb show autism-like behaviors and lose some receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin.

The combination of prenatal stress and a preterm labor drug may elicit seizures and autism-like behaviors in rat pups.

Adults with autism struggle to reconcile conflicting visual information, hinting at a signaling imbalance in the brain.

The pups of male mice exposed to stress show a muted response to stressful situations of their own, suggesting that environmental effects can last generations.

A new drug that targets a molecule involved in learning reverses some cognitive difficulties in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.