Mutations in two genes linked to autism, neurexin and neuroligin, slow down neuronal signaling, according to research published 2 August in Science. Analyzing the mutations in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the study found that mutations in these genes affect signaling in the opposite direction than is typical.

Overfed rodents could be throwing toxicology tests off kilter, according to a review published 13 June in Chemical Research in Toxicology.

The autism-associated gene RBFOX1 modifies the sequence of hundreds of genetic messages, a number of which affect the expression of other autism-linked genes, according to a study published 7 July in Human Molecular Genetics.

Several lines of converging evidence suggest that low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2 (LRP2), which is involved in early patterning of the brain, is a risk gene for autism.

An innovative technique that uses waves of light to silence brain signaling in live animals can affect subsequent neuronal signals, according to a study published 24 June in Nature Neuroscience.

The presence of any of three abnormal physical features — an asymmetrical face, tufts of hair growing in the wrong direction or a prominent forehead — can help diagnose autism, according to a study published 6 June in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Identical twins are born with significant differences in the chemical modifications to their DNA, suggesting that the uterine environment can profoundly influence development and risk for disease.

TAOK2, a gene in the autism-associated 16p11.2 chromosomal region, is part of a signaling pathway that builds neuronal connections during development, according to a study published 10 June in Nature Neuroscience.

Motor neurons derived from individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a rare autism-related disorder, form abnormal connections with muscle cells. The unpublished research was presented 26 July at a meeting of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation in Orlando.

Some studies have suggested that people with autism have deficits in executive function — a set of complex mental processes involved in everyday life. But these results may instead reflect their difficulties imagining what other people are thinking, according to a provocative new hypothesis.