Environment

How the brain’s immune cells develop in ‘germ-free’ mice might help explain why autism is more prevalent in boys than girls.

Women who take folic acid or other vitamins before or during pregnancy may decrease their risk of having a child with autism.

Older men and women are more likely than young ones to have a child with autism, but this connection is not straightforward.

Men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, are at increased risk of having a child with autism.

Sophisticated animal models — including a new rat model — are revealing how maternal antibodies contribute to autism risk.

Nongenetic rodent models most relevant to autism tend to be those exposed to environmental agents in the womb or shortly after birth.

Four large studies published since May arrive at various conclusions about whether exposure to antidepressants in the womb ups autism risk.