Researchers have engineered two generations of monkeys with mutations in SHANK3, a top autism gene. The first generation shows traits reminiscent of the condition.

Autistic children may be more likely than their unaffected siblings to carry mutations in genes linked to sleep.

An experimental compound that blocks two enzymes involved in gene expression improves social behavior in young mice.

A brain region that orchestrates responses to social cues and aids decision-making may be off tempo in autism.

The first monkey with a mutation in SHANK3, a top autism gene, is nearly 3; it spends its days circling its cage rather than interacting with other monkeys.

A team of researchers is trialing a fast approach to autism drug development: simultaneously testing candidates in people and in mice.

The pattern of high-pitched calls a mouse makes may reflect how, and how much, it is interacting with other mice. The pattern holds for typical mice as well as for two mouse models of autism.