The Brain

Problems with the minute ‘factories’ that yield energy for cells — the mitochondria — may contribute to learning problems and other traits of fragile X syndrome.

The brain’s emotion center, the amygdala, undergoes dramatic changes during the first year of life; these shifts may hold hints about its role in autism.

An analysis of four mouse models negates certain assumptions underlying the signaling imbalance theory of autism.

A flexible electrode array can record the firing of hundreds of rat neurons for months on end.

Some traits of autism are associated with obvious differences in brain structure, and the scope of these alterations may depend on the person’s sex.

A brain region that orchestrates responses to social cues and aids decision-making may be off tempo in autism.

Two independent sets of mice missing a copy of SETD5, a top autism gene, link the gene to the condition’s traits.

A customizable Styrofoam mold minimizes head movements during brain scans, enabling researchers to produce clearer images.

People with autism may show scant activity in a poorly understood molecular process thought to regulate gene expression.