Genes

The more scientists dig into DNA, the more intricate its contribution to autism seems to be. Here, we unravel the complex genetics of autism.

A new method that suppresses gene expression in the embryos of fish and mice may help researchers study autism genes in early development.

Mice missing the autism gene NLGN3 have altered social behaviors and brain responses to the hormone oxytocin, both of which improve after treatment with a drug that helps regulate protein production.

Mutations in the MECP2 gene, which are associated with autism and Rett syndrome, interfere with a cell’s ability to form droplets of DNA that silence gene expression.

The most comprehensive catalog to date of DNA regions that modify gene expression is helping researchers uncover the role these segments play in autism.

An experimental drug silences a DNA segment and seems to prevent seizures and death in a condition related to autism.

A new study pinpoints the genes and cell types that may underlie the atypical brain structure seen in people with genetic conditions linked to autism.

About 6.5 percent of autistic people in the United States also have dyslipidemia, a condition characterized by abnormal lipids levels in the blood.

Repeating bits of the genome may be responsible for nearly 3 percent of the genetic architecture of autism.

Two new analyses help to explain why mutations to the chromosomal region 16p11.2 can lead to autism, intellectual disability or language difficulties.