Names such as autism, schizophrenia and intellectual disability are ‘umbrella’ terms that muddy the search for the true cause of an individual’s symptoms, says Eric London. He plans to come up with an alternative diagnostic scheme for developmental disabilities over the next two years.

Finding people who have an autism-linked mutation but no apparent symptoms may be the key to identifying drug targets for the disorder, says Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
 

Like people, monkeys vary widely in their social abilities. Behavioral neuroscientist Karen Parker explains how studying social behavior in monkeys can advance how we understand and treat autism.

It’s been 15 years since researchers published an epidemiological study with results so striking they sparked worldwide changes in food fortification. Geneticist Joseph Cubells is revisiting the results to determine whether folate decreases autism risk. 

Neurologist Lawrence Reiter is growing neurons from the discarded teeth of children with neurological syndromes. Here he describes how dental pulp may help researchers find the genes and pathways that underlie autism symptoms.

Geneticist James Noonan explains how the complex function of CHD8, the leading candidate for autism risk, points to a way to unravel the mechanisms underlying autism.

Cell biologist Nicholas Katsanis explains why zebrafish have been key in studying a chromosomal region linked to autism.

Luca Santarelli, head of neuroscience at Roche, explains why he is optimistic that pharmaceutical companies can overcome the obstacles in autism drug development.

Child psychiatrist and epidemiologist Eric Fombonne digs through the latest report on the prevalence of autism, suggesting reasons for the apparent increase in the disorder’s rates.