New techniques to scan the brain can produce exquisitely detailed views of white matter, which contains the long cellular fibers that connect neurons. Many of the advances are emerging from the Human Connectome Project, a five-year push to map the brain’s wiring.

Abnormal cells in the placenta, usually discarded at birth, may be early indicators of autism, suggests a study published 22 April in Biological Psychiatry.

Following the suspension in early May of two clinical trials of arbaclofen, a candidate drug for autism and fragile X syndrome, parents are appealing to the U.S. government and several pharmaceutical companies to continue testing the drug.

RORA, an autism candidate gene, encodes a protein that binds more than 2,500 other genes and alters the expression of some of those genes, according to a study published 22 May in Molecular Autism.

A new statistical method for linking genes to a disorder analyzes both rare and common variants of a gene at the same time, according to a study published 14 May in the American Journal of Human Genetics. This makes it possible to confirm associations that other techniques might overlook.

Many obstacles line the road to early diagnosis and treatment for children with autism, especially for immigrant families, says a study published in May.

Two different autism-linked mutations in the same gene implicate the endocannabinoid system, which regulates appetite, mood and memory, in autism, according to a study published 8 May in Neuron.

To understand the amygdala’s role in autism, researchers should study its connections with other brain structures and explore its role in development, says Ralph Adolphs.

Watch the complete replay of Sarkis Mazmanian discussing new findings that support a connection between the gut microbiome and the autism brain. Submit your own follow-up questions.

Deleting both copies of a gene linked to tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, in only a subset of brain cells recapitulates many of the disorder’s symptoms in mice, according to a study published 9 May in Neuron.