Neurons in mice that lack an autism gene called CNTNAP2 do not differentiate well between social and nonsocial smells — an issue that seems to stem from haphazard neuronal firing.

Autism is unusually common among people with congenital blindness, in part because the ability to see drives much of brain development.

Rats missing UBE3A, the gene mutated in people with Angelman syndrome, squeak frequently but tend not to be responsive to the play and squeaks of other rats.

Delivery by cesarean section leads to subtle brain and behavioral alterations in mice, particularly those delivered prematurely.

A single seizure early in life leads to enduring behavioral problems, including diminished sociability, in mice.

A new autism mouse model carries the same mutation in a gene called ADNP that is seen in autistic people.

Marmosets exposed to a mock infection in the womb have altered vocal development and diminished social interest; exposed macaques show changes in brain structure and function.

Cardiac activity could reveal autism’s physiology and confirm a hunch many clinicians share: that people with autism experience great stress.

Tuberous sclerosis provides a unique opportunity to understand autism because about half of people with that single-gene condition also have autism.

The loss of 21 genes on chromosome 3 may substantially raise the risk of autism.