Researchers have adapted a motion-sensing video game controller to detect repetitive movements that are characteristic of autism, according to a preliminary study published in the 2012 Conference Proceedings – IEEE Engineering Medical Biological Society.

Exome sequencing has produced a wealth of insight into the heritability of autism and identified a number of promising risk genes. But how much risk lies outside the exome?

Matthew Goodwin aims to use wearable sensors and computational techniques to help scientists understand hand flapping and other behaviors in children with autism.

Jason Stein and Daniel Geschwind analyze how different types of genetic variation contribute to autism risk.

Children who carry an extra copy of the 15q11-13 region of the genome usually have autism and sleep troubles, as well as distinctive brain-wave patterns and facial features, according to a report published 14 March in Autism Research.

In his Directors’ Column, Alan Packer points out how a number of autism risk genes act on a common cellular pathway regulated by a single protein. What other similar convergent paths might be hiding in the literature? Let’s go on a treasure hunt.

Adults with autism fare better now than they did in the 1960s, when scientists first began tracking outcomes, reports a perspective published in February’s World Psychiatry.

Show an image of a neuron to NEMO, a new free software tool, and it will trace the neuron’s shape and detail the length, breadth and number of its branches, scientists who designed the software reported 14 February in Frontiers in Neuroinformatics.

New methods to deal with motion artifacts in brain imaging data are critically important, says Mike Tyszka.

Characterizing the brain’s network organization may help us understand autism, says Damien Fair.