There is not yet a single example of a gene that, when mutated, increases the likelihood of autism but not of other neurodevelopmental conditions, including intellectual disability.

A typically protective stress response could help to explain the connection between maternal illness and neurodevelopmental conditions.

A growing body of evidence shows that brain cells called oligodendrocytes may play a larger role in autism than previously thought.

Researchers have devised a way to use fluorescent sensors to detect many different signaling molecules in a cell at once.

People with fragile X syndrome in Colombia are diagnosed at age 27, on average, according to the first study to assess diagnosis in the country. By comparison, the average age of fragile X diagnosis in the United States is younger than 4.

Some neurons activate autism-linked genes when they fire, according to a new study.

Researchers have created the most complete macaque reference genome to date and used it to catalog genetic variation among hundreds of monkeys.

Altering a protein linked to Rett syndrome so that it cannot bind to a methylation tag in neurons results in Rett-like traits in mice.

Blood levels of PTEN protein and associated molecules could eventually help diagnose autism and other neurological conditions — and predict their outcomes.

A controversial idea about how cells compartmentalize their contents into droplets — like beads of oil in water — could be key to understanding autism, says Julie Forman-Kay.