Anxiety runs in families with a history of autism, hinting that the two conditions may share a common origin, suggests a twin study published in November.

A strain of bacteria that lives in some people’s guts alleviates obsessive behaviors, anxiety and other symptoms in mice that model autism, researchers report today in Cell. The finding supports the intriguing link between the gut, brain and behavior.

It’s common for children with autism to take more than one medication to improve symptoms, despite the dearth of information about the drugs’ long-term safety, according to two new studies.

A mother’s exposure to infection can exacerbate the effects of a genetic mutation and contribute to autism or schizophrenia in her pups, suggests an unpublished mouse study presented Wednesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.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.

The drug propranolol improves social behavior and cognition in teenagers and young adults with autism, suggest results from a small trial presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Brain regions that help people orient themselves in space and time may also guide their sense of intimacy and hierarchy with another person, according to findings presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Two new studies examine disruptive behavior and loneliness among adults with autism, generally a poorly studied group. 

Rodent models that recapitulate the core features of autism often have additional traits, leading us to ask whether these traits are integral to autism, says Elisa Hill-Yardin.

Two contradictory studies prompt questions about the reliability of self-report questionnaires in autism.