The Spectrum team highlights five topics that distinguished autism research in 2020: diversity in data, gene therapies, subtyping, social circuitry and the ‘autism gene’ debate.

Mice that model 22q11.2 deletion syndrome lack social memory, but that trait can be reversed using a drug that targets the flow of potassium ions in neurons.

A new study pinpoints the genes and cell types that may underlie the atypical brain structure seen in people with genetic conditions linked to autism.

People who have large mutations associated with autism and schizophrenia share atypical patterns of brain connectivity, according to a new study, especially between areas that process sensory information.

Neurons derived from people with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome show deficits in calcium signaling and electrical activity, pointing to possible therapeutic targets.

Brain structure of autistic people with deletions in the chromosomal region 22q11.2 differs from that of autistic people without the deletions.

Dampening overactive brain circuits alleviates social and memory problems in a mouse model of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

A collection of rare genetic variants associated with autism and schizophrenia also seem to increase a person’s odds of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Mice that lack a segment of chromosome 22 — a mutation associated with autism — have unusually sparse connections between brain regions.

About 10 percent of people with a large mutation in chromosome 22 have autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or intellectual disability.