How the brain’s immune cells develop in ‘germ-free’ mice might help explain why autism is more prevalent in boys than girls.

The male-dominated sex bias in autism is reversed in a related syndrome, a researcher’s gender could influence her study’s outcome, and an award-nominated ad featuring a young man with autism draws criticism.

Children with autism are at an increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease, according to a large survey of electronic medical records.

Autism prevalence plateaued for the years 2014 to 2016, a review finds no evidence that herbal therapies for autism work, and a panel of four proteins in blood may distinguish children with autism.

We waded through the sea of autism studies published in 2017 and spotted several themes.

Men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, are at increased risk of having a child with autism.

Researchers have mapped how immune cells in the brain called microglia change with age in mice.

Sophisticated animal models — including a new rat model — are revealing how maternal antibodies contribute to autism risk.

Mouse pups exposed to an immune response in the womb show autism-like behaviors and altered gene expression in brain cells called microglia.

Nongenetic rodent models most relevant to autism tend to be those exposed to environmental agents in the womb or shortly after birth.