Whole-genome sequencing data — which include information about mitochondrial DNA — offer clues to why mutations in the same gene can lead to autism or cancer.

Experiments offer clues to why certain mutations are associated with autism in some people and not others.

Connections between 13 autism-linked proteins and their binding partners in excitatory neurons implicate a new molecular pathway.

One drug blocks mTOR signaling, and the other stops the blocker from acting anywhere in the body but the brain, lowering the potential for side effects.

The code may help scientists identify people with the autism-linked condition and recruit them into clinical trials.

People with the autism-linked syndrome lack a protein implicated in several cancers, but it’s unclear whether — or how — they are protected from malignancies.

Clues that problems with mitochondria contribute to autism have been accumulating for decades. In the past five years, a mutant mouse and a flurry of findings have energized the field.

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, tests of intranasal oxytocin and an Angelman syndrome treatment fail to see results.

Researchers are increasingly turning to simple animals to learn about autism biology and find leads for new drugs.

When Holly Stessman isn’t probing autism genes, she is tending to her flock of chickens or seeking out the next great sci-fi movie.