Even as a small child, geneticist Elise Robinson wondered why people think the way they do. Today, that question informs much of her autism research.

Researchers have cataloged more than 100 mutations in DDX3X, a candidate gene for autism.

People with mutations in a gene called TBR1 have unusual features in several brain regions, along with autism traits and developmental delay.

Lowering the levels of a protein called tau, best known for its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease, improves behavior in two mouse models of autism.

Rare mutations in a gene called BAZ2B are associated with various conditions of brain development, including autism.

Deletions and duplications of long stretches of DNA may increase the likelihood of autism in people who have a mutation in a gene called PTEN.

A new technique detects rare mutations that occur in only a subset of the body’s cells.

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

The number of top autism genes has risen from 65 to 102, based on an analysis of more than 35,000 sequences. And researchers are seeing the first hints of autism risk variants in the regions between genes.

Researchers have monitored the active genome in brain organoids over the course of nearly two years — and may find clues to autism’s roots.