An autism-linked mutation could make the brain grow unusually large by prompting cells to express a chemical signal better known for its connection to cancer.

Mutations in CHD8 lead to brain overgrowth or undergrowth in mice, depending on how they affect the gene’s expression.

Mice missing a copy of the autism-linked gene PTEN show a reduced preference for social interaction, possibly due to atypically large, overconnected dopamine neurons. Easing the overconnection may alleviate this trait.

The loss of CHD8, a top autism gene, speeds up the production of certain neurons and leads to overgrowth in spheres of cultured brain cells.

Autistic boys with large brains in early childhood still have large brains in adolescence, challenging the long-standing idea that brain enlargement in autism is temporary.

A new analysis links individual mutations in a gene called PTEN to a person’s odds of having autism, cancer or other conditions.

Some people with autism have an unusually large head. What causes the enlargement? And does it have any bearing on outcome?

Individuals with mutations in an autism gene called TRIO may have a range of conditions, including intellectual disability and anomalous head size.

People with mutations in CHD8, a top autism gene, tend to be tall and have large heads.

Blocking one form of an enzyme implicated in autism eases unusual behaviors and seizures in mice missing a top autism gene.