The characteristics, interactions and roles of autism-associated genes in the fruit flies’ brain will help guide how we think about the same genes in humans, says Ralph Greenspan.

A cellular pathway that initiates protein synthesis may be overactive in individuals with fragile X syndrome, according a study published 23 January in Genes, Brain and Behavior.

A compound that boosts inhibitory signals in the brain could treat hyperactivity and excitability in mice that model fragile X syndrome, according to a study published 8 November in Developmental Neuroscience.

The ten notable papers picked by SFARI staff describe superb contributions that span the breadth of autism research from molecules to behavior. But we recognize that ten other articles might have been selected without loss of enthusiasm or excitement.

Dried spots of blood taken from infants at birth can help clinicians screen for fragile X syndrome in countries with limited resources, according to a study published 11 October in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers.

Researchers have derived neurons from stem cells to investigate mutations that lead to Rett and fragile X syndromes.

Social cognition tests using videos of actors performing emotional expressions and scenes can measure subtle impairments characteristic of high-functioning people with autism, according to unpublished research presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

A large scientific research company debuted seven new rat models of autism Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C. Two of the models, one lacking FMR1 and the other lacking NLGN3, show some unexpected new characteristics.

Neurons in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome make more connections during a critical period in development compared with controls, but are slower to respond to signals.

Infants with fragile X syndrome spend more time looking at a toy before switching their attention elsewhere than do healthy controls, according to a study published 1 July in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.