Genes

A drug that treats tumors and epilepsy in people with tuberous sclerosis complex does not boost their intelligence or ease autism traits.

Mutations in an autism gene called ANK2 may alter brain wiring by causing the growth of excess neuronal connections.

A new technique enables scientists to isolate, and chart gene expression in, tens of thousands of cells at once.

Children with autism who carry mutations in the chromosomal region 16p11.2 or the gene CHD8 — two of the leading risk factors for autism — show distinct patterns of chemical tags on their DNA.

A novel approach to microscopy reveals the sequences and spatial arrangement of DNA within cells.

Brain tissues from people with autism of unknown cause and from people with either of two genetic forms of the condition all show similar patterns of methyl groups on DNA.

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

A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.