Moving into the new year, researchers on Twitter talked about motion as a confounder for brain-imaging studies, connections between macaque brain activity and body movements, and the importance of motor-speech research in autism.

Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes.

Most people with the X-linked syndrome have autism traits, and about one-quarter meet diagnostic criteria for the condition.

Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how, cilia differences contribute to the condition.

Do you read Spectrum regularly? See how well you’ve followed our coverage by taking our end-of-year quiz.

Track some of the major autism science meetings next year on our timeline, and tell us which ones you plan to attend.

In 2022, we asked our profile subjects and sources to flag rising stars in their labs or among their former students. The result is this list of 40 young researchers who are working on autism-related science across the globe.

Instead of reflecting on autism through studies or statistics, for Spectrum’s fifth annual book we sought a more personal lens: the lives of the people who research the condition.

This week, scientists on Twitter discussed new functions for autism-linked genes, underpinnings for restricted and repetitive behaviors, and roles for microglia.

Blocking the enzyme, called TOP2A, in embryos makes the animals less inclined to seek companionship later in life.