Scientific art takes over Twitter, and college students on the spectrum describe their struggles.

After eight years of prominence as an autism risk gene, a new analysis significantly brings down CNTNAP2’s importance in the disorder: According to the study, rare mutations in a single copy of the gene are unlikely to cause autism. 

An ultra-thin and flexible electrode array can record brain signals without disturbing the underlying tissue.

The autism-linked gene AUTS2 activates a group of genes that may be important for early brain development. The findings, published 18 December in Nature, hint at AUTS2’s potential role in autism and other developmental disorders.

Researchers are taking a second look at dozens of autism candidate genes, sequencing them in thousands of individuals to bolster the evidence linking them to autism.

Valproic acid, an epilepsy drug that increases the risk of autism, may alter neural circuits by opening up chromatin, a tightly packaged form of DNA in the nucleus. Researchers presented the unpublished data today at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Mice with an extra copy of the autism-linked gene UBE3A show abnormal social behavior after experiencing recurrent seizures. The findings, presented Tuesday at the Autism Consortium Research Symposium in Boston, provide one possible explanation for why seizures and autism often go hand in hand.

Mutations in a gene linked to intellectual disability and sometimes autism may lead to a permanent boost in brain activity, according to a study published 18 June in Neuron.

Children who have both the rare genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis complex and autism show a gradual drop in nonverbal intelligence between 1 and 3 years of age, according to research published 11 June in Neurology.

There are no available medications for treating autism’s core symptoms, but there are several candidates in clinical trials. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele describes the factors researchers must take into account when developing drugs for the disorder.