The mutation prevents certain amino acids from entering neurons, causing the cells to die early in development.

The result raises hopes for an ongoing clinical trial in people — and offers fresh insight into the biology of imprinting and the UBE3A antisense transcript.

The changes may help explain the link between maternal infection and autism, though more research is needed.

By revealing differences between autistic and non-autistic children, it could help identify autism in babies.

A machine-learning technique applied to brain imaging data appears to predict a person’s mix of verbal intelligence, social affect and repetitive behaviors.

This month’s issue of the Going on Trial newsletter examines personalized therapies for rare conditions, Acadia’s new drug for Rett syndrome and developments in a cord-blood program, among other autism-related drug trial news.

Male rats prenatally exposed to a maternal immune response have atypical responses to other rats in distress, according to a new study.

About 1 in 36 children in the United States has autism, up almost 20 percent from the previous estimate, reflecting improved identification, particularly among girls and Black, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander children.

Cannabidiol (CBD) blocks the action of a molecule that drives an overexcitability feedback loop in a rodent model of epilepsy.

The approach improves the function of SYNGAP1-deficient neurons in vitro, but whether it will work in people remains unclear.