Exposure to inflammation in the womb may affect the brain and behavior of males and females differently.

Two new studies point to the possibility of detecting autism mutations before birth — along with all the ethical and logistical problems that may bring.

Despite the hype around a new study, it may be too soon to conclude that taking prenatal vitamins during pregnancy lowers the child’s chances of autism.

Understanding the interactions between the placenta and the uterine lining could explain how maternal immune activation leads to autism.

Autism may be accompanied by high levels of the hormone leptin in early childhood.

Autism is predominantly genetic in origin, but a growing list of prenatal exposures for mother and baby may sway the odds.

Autism results from an interplay between genetics and the environment, but it has been tough to nail down the environmental factors involved.

In mice exposed to maternal inflammation in the womb, a key chemical messenger never makes the switch from exciting brain signals to inhibiting them.

A pregnant mouse’s response to infection alters the immune cells in her pups’ brains, and this may contribute to their autism-like behaviors.

Rats exposed prenatally to a cocktail of ‘autoimmune’ molecules have altered levels of two types of compounds needed for brain development.