A new chemical cocktail that renders brains transparent allows a powerful microscope to resolve minute details within the brain.

MeCP2, a gene associated with neurodevelopmental conditions such as Rett syndrome and autism, has an unexpectedly essential role in mature brains.

The possibility that autism is caused by a maternal immune system gone awry is no longer a fringe idea — but proposals to identify or fix these glitches are still controversial.

A powerful form of light microscopy that maps neuronal connections could help researchers better understand communication among the cells.

Rare antibodies taken from the blood of women who have a child with autism cause brain structure changes and autism-like symptoms in male mice.

A microscope that sections brain tissue as it scans can trace the tangled paths of thousands of neurons through the brain.

Boosting levels of the fragile X protein FMRP in astrocytes reverses features of fragile X syndrome in mice.

An autism-linked mutation in the SHANK3 gene alters the protein skeleton of mouse neurons. Repairing the scaffold eases the animals’ social deficits.

Inexpensive ‘chips’ imprinted with tiny wells and channels provide a glimpse of neurons communicating in culture.

Looking in families with a history of severe autism among women, researchers have unearthed 18 new candidate genes for the disorder. One of these genes, delta-catenin, plays a critical role in brain development, researchers reported yesterday in Nature.