Eating a high-fat, low-carbohydrate — or ‘ketonogenic’ — diet for five weeks makes a mouse model of autism more sociable, according to a study published 5 June in PLoS One. The results suggest that this diet may be beneficial for children with autism.

Children who have severe autism symptoms, epilepsy or poor intelligence and language skills fare worse as they age than their peers with milder symptoms, according to two long-term studies published in July, one of which spanned 40 years.

The first sizable study to use whole-genome sequencing to investigate autism has shown its mettle, revealing new mutations and candidate genes for the disorder, according to a report published 11 July in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

The majority of people lacking a functional copy of the SHANK3 gene have both autism and severe intellectual disability, according to a study published 11 June in Molecular Autism.

Duplication of a chromosomal region that includes the autism-linked gene MBD5 leads to intellectual disability, language impairment and autism-like symptoms, according to a study published 1 May in the European Journal of Human Genetics.

A boost in the levels of MeCP2, the gene implicated in Rett syndrome, makes mice more susceptible to seizures and subtly alters their neurons, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

Electronic health records may help researchers assemble information about autism, such as its full range of symptoms, from thousands of individuals, says Isaac Kohane.

Insulin-like growth factor 1, a drug approved for use in children with short stature, reverses neurological deficits in mice with an autism-linked mutation in the SHANK3 gene, according to a study published 27 April in Molecular Autism. 

Studying regression in Rett syndrome may help us understand the phenomenon in autism, as it occurs at the same time in both disorders and includes many of the same features, says Jeffrey Neul.
 

The mutation that causes tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, may disable calming signals in the brain, leading to hyperactive neurons, according to a study published 8 May in Neuron.