The more children with autism tune in to and communicate with others as toddlers, the stronger their conversation skills are later in childhood.

Autistic girls’ brains respond more strongly to social stimuli than do autistic boys’.

The drug popularly known as ecstasy may boost sociability through brain circuits distinct from that underlying its ‘high.’

The ability to learn from social experiences wanes by adulthood, at least in mice — but the recreational drug ecstasy may bring it back.

The cerebellum, a brain region primarily associated with movement, may mediate the pleasure that comes from socializing.

Boosting the levels of the chemical messenger serotonin makes mice that model autism more social — and brings new hope to a shelved theory in autism.