A cancer drug shows promise as a treatment for Angelman syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature.

Dried spots of blood taken from infants at birth can help clinicians screen for fragile X syndrome in countries with limited resources, according to a study published 11 October in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers.

A new report outlines priorities for studying adults with autism, ranging from designing diagnostic tests to the most effective models of long-term care.

The nation’s largest database of autism research is about to get even bigger, thanks to a partnership between the National Database for Autism Research, a repository of data from 25,000 participants, and the Autism Genetic Research Exchange, a database of 2,500 families.

Rats possess a surprising sense of empathy, according to research published last week in Science. The findings highlight one more reason why rats, with their complex repertoire of social behavior, may be well suited for autism studies.

SP1, a protein that regulates the expression of several autism candidate genes, could increase risk of the disorder by simultaneously altering the expression of a number of the genes, according to a study published 24 October in Biological Psychiatry.

The molecular soldiers of the immune system may contribute to many cases of autism, according to a diverse array of studies published in the past few months.

Researchers have identified 12 duplications or deletions of DNA regions that are transmitted along with autism in families with a history of the disorder. The results were published 7 October in PLoS One.

Larger brains may be associated with regressive autism, but only in boys, according to a study published online 28 November in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The rise of whole-genome sequencing is likely to result in a deluge of lawsuits against doctors for misinterpreting disease risks, two lawyers caution in an essay in Slate.