A newly discovered spontaneous mutation, described 27 August in Molecular Psychiatry, links autism to changes in the regulation of the chemical messenger dopamine.

Boys with tuberous sclerosis complex, an autism-related disorder, have more disorganized nerve fibers in some regions of the brain than do girls with the disorder, according to unpublished work presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Geneticists react to discoveries and identify next steps for one of autism’s most promising candidate genes.

Researchers have created software that can design customized molecular scissors to edit the genomes of living cells. The program, called TALENSeek, was presented in a poster Saturday afternoon at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Just as search engines comb through the vast expanse of the Internet for information, several online resources are helping scientists browse massive collections of data on the brain. Researchers showcased several of these resources Saturday afternoon at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Schoolteachers in Oman have a poor understanding of autism’s causes and symptoms, suggests a survey published 22 October in Autism.

Low levels of a thyroid hormone during pregnancy raise the risk of autism-like symptoms in the child by fourfold, according to a study published 13 August in Annals of Neurology.

Children with poor vision or a hearing loss are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than are those in the general population, reports a large epidemiological study published in October.

Watch the complete replay of Lonnie Zwaigenbaum discussing what studying siblings of individuals with autism can tell us about risk and early detection of the disorder. Submit follow-up questions.

Join us on Sunday, 10 November, at SfN 2013 for an informal evening of food, conversation and new data.