Do mice use their high-pitched vocalizations to communicate, just as people use speech? It’s not likely, according to an unpublished study of deaf mice presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

People with autism tend to be less efficient than controls at integrating what they hear with what they see, according to unpublished results presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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that you’re involved in a live interaction, even when you’re not, is enough to activate the social brain, according to unpublished work presented today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Birdsong is a valuable tool for studying language, and mice are the models of choice for genetic manipulation of behavior. Together, birds and mice can yield unparalleled insights into human language, suggests unpublished research presented yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.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 Researchers presented the unpublished study today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Another study presented today links defects in a section of the cerebellum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.

Deletion or duplication of 7q11.23, a chromosomal region linked to Williams syndrome and autism, alters the size of several brain structures, according to unpublished results presented Sunday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Three distinct behavioral profiles in siblings of children with autism at 18 months predict autism diagnosis at age 3. The findings, published 2 October, point to multiple developmental pathways to the disorder.

Many studies have found differences in the brains of young infants later diagnosed with autism. But to call this a biomarker requires independent validation, time and patience, says Helen Tager-Flusberg.

Some siblings of children with autism have social language impairments that may signal another, more controversial disorder.

Adults in the general population fall into two clusters, each characterized by a subset of autism-like symptoms: social deficits and a fixation on details.