A new study may have solved a decade-old debate about whether the brains of people with autism are more or less connected than those of controls: They’re both, depending on where in the brain you look.

Even small movements of the head during magnetic resonance imaging can lead to spurious measurements of brain structures, according to a new study.

People with autism show unique patterns of brain activation when thinking about social words, such as ‘hug.’ But new findings highlight the dangers of using thoughts as biomarkers for the disorder.

Pivotal response treatment, an effective form of behavioral therapy for autism, normalizes brain activity in children with the disorder, according to a small study published earlier this month in Brain Imaging and Behavior. This suggests that brain imaging can signal early responses to autism treatments.

After four months of a behavioral therapy known as pivotal response training, children with autism show improved behavior and enhanced activity in brain regions that process social information. Researchers presented these preliminary results from a trial yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

A new mathematical method helps researchers understand how brain connectivity in individuals varies from group norms.

Believing that you’re involved in a live interaction, even when you’re not, is enough to activate the social brain, according to unpublished work presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

People with autism have trouble moving in response to something they see, a process tuned by the cerebellum. Researchers presented the unpublished study today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Another study presented today links defects in a section of the cerebellum to language problems in autism, underscoring the region’s importance in the disorder.

Many brain imaging studies of autism focus on neurons’ connections or activity, but examining neuronal tracts across the brain is equally informative, say Julia Owen and Pratik Mukherjee. 

British psychologist Uta Frith has singlehandedly transformed our understanding of autism. In partnership with her husband, neuroimaging expert Chris Frith, she helped launch the field of cognitive neuroscience and shaped a generation of scientists.