Female mice can withstand a maternal antibody that triggers brain abnormalities and autism-like behaviors in males. But additional immune challenges spell trouble.

Exposure to infection in utero may speed up the expression of many genes linked to autism — and hasten changes in brain anatomy.

Marmosets exposed to a mock infection in the womb have altered vocal development and diminished social interest; exposed macaques show changes in brain structure and function.

Researchers have created a microscopic particle that traps immune molecules found in a woman that are linked to autism in her child.

Exposure to inflammation in the womb may affect the brain and behavior of males and females differently.

A cell atlas and a cell-culture method promise to advance scientists’ understanding of the placenta and its effects on a fetus.

Children who contract serious infections may have an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with autism.

Autism is predominantly genetic in origin, but a growing list of prenatal exposures for mother and baby may sway the odds.

Chronic exposure to inflammation in the womb alters autism gene expression and disrupts social behavior in male mice, but not females.

Autism results from an interplay between genetics and the environment, but it has been tough to nail down the environmental factors involved.