The mutation that causes Angelman syndrome makes neurons hyperexcitable, which may explain the frequent seizures that most people with the syndrome have.

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.

One form of the protein implicated in Angelman syndrome and autism clusters in the nucleus, and it’s this form that may be critical to brain development.

Mice with extra copies of UBE3A, a gene linked to autism and related conditions, are susceptible to death from seizures.

The timing of treatment is crucial for conditions related to autism — and more so for some conditions than for others.

Researchers are edging closer to a therapy for Angelman syndrome — a condition related to autism — that involves injecting the gene-editing enzyme CRISPR into the fetal brain.

Modified stem cells show promise for delivering gene-based therapies to individuals with Angelman syndrome.

Compounds that mimic a cancer drug restore expression of the key gene mutated in Angelman syndrome, a condition related to autism.

The international manual of conditions now includes a diagnostic code for Angelman syndrome — which may enable scientists to systematically collect information about the syndrome.