Skin cells taken from mice with an autism-linked mutation and transformed directly into neurons have the same properties as neurons from the brains of these mice. The study, published 8 October in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, validates an efficient technique to study disease-linked mutations.

By mapping the brains of not 1 but 27 mouse models of autism, researchers are making sense of the widely divergent structural changes seen in autism brains, they reported Wednesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Pairing brain imaging with simple videos that mimic social interactions can help pinpoint the brain regions responsible for inferring others’ thoughts. Researchers described this approach Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Guinea pigs have advantages over other rodent species commonly used to model disorders such as autism, according to preliminary research published Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

A ‘neurofeedback’ training program featuring movies and video games may help erase certain abnormalities seen in brain scans of boys with autism, according to research presented Monday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Rett syndrome affects many cellular pathways, but correcting just one of these with drugs approved for other purposes may be enough to alleviate symptoms of the disorder. This was the message from two presentations Tuesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Cells extracted from baby teeth, which fall out on their own, may be better suited than skin cells for making induced neurons to use in autism research, suggests a study published 3 October in PLoS One.

Two studies in autism rat models suggest that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and an unapproved drug for dementia may improve some symptoms of the disorder, according to unpublished results presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Researchers have created neurons from the skin cells of children with autism, according to an unpublished study presented Monday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego. These neurons show several distinct features, including elevated markers of inhibitory signaling.

Long-term treatment with oxytocin impairs prairie voles’ ability to produce the hormone on their own, according to unpublished results presented Monday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.