Q&A

The new director of the National Institute of Mental Health says work on brain circuits may yield treatments for autism.

Male scientists typically dominate speaker lineups at conferences. The skewed gender ratio stunts women’s careers — and progress in science.

By coaching mice to position themselves under a microscope, researchers can regularly peer into their brains without disrupting the rodents’ social life.

Children with low intelligence or behavioral issues — but not autism — may meet the criteria for autism on standard diagnostic tests.

A new atlas provides the most in-depth look to date at the human brain.

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.