The approach improves the function of SYNGAP1-deficient neurons in vitro, but whether it will work in people remains unclear.

The gene, linked to a little-known condition called Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, prevents embryonic stem cells from deviating from their neuronal destiny.

Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how, cilia differences contribute to the condition.

Faulty mTOR signaling, implicated in syndromic forms of autism, also hinders cells grown from people with idiopathic autism or autism-linked deletions on chromosome 16.

The model enables the study of autism-linked genes at the earliest stages of neural development.

The developmental models have advantages over natural embryos and other synthetic models, such as organoids, but present technical and ethical challenges.

A handful of scientists are committed to advancing research on the autism-related genetic conditions their own children have.

The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.

The size of the cerebral cortex seems to depend on when neural progenitor cells multiply or differentiate into glial cells and neurons.

The ability to conduct large-scale screening in human neurons could accelerate the discovery of autism treatments.