Q&A

Despite ethical concerns, watching how human neurons develop in the mouse brain could help scientists understand conditions such as autism.

Repeatedly activating a group of neurons causes them to fire as a unit on their own. Once the ensemble has formed, stimulating a single neuron triggers activity in the rest of the group.

A gene that raises the risk of autism in some people may also give humans an evolutionary boost.

A new study reveals how chemicals in the newborn brain forge connections between neurons.

Genetic variants that impair a pathway that prunes neuronal connections may offer clues to autism.

Techniques used in behavioral interventions could help scientists scan the brains of children who have both autism and intellectual disability.

Autism is four times more prevalent among extremely premature babies than in the general population.

Mini-brains grown from stem cells in culture can reveal the effects of both autism and the Zika virus on early development.

Children with autism tend to mix up personal pronouns when their language skills outpace their social awareness.

A mouse model of fragile X syndrome lacks a key feature of the condition, prompting researchers to look for other ways to test treatments.