Girls with autism have more brain matter than do either controls or girls with developmental disabilities. This defect is particularly pronounced in the left superior frontal gyrus, a region in the medial prefrontal cortex that is responsible for higher-order cognitive function.

The brains of individuals with autism express lower levels of proteins that direct neuronal growth compared with those of controls.

Researchers have created detailed three-dimensional reconstructions of the numerous complex branches of dendrites, the signal-receiving ends of neurons.

A protein that regulates the development of serotonin-producing neurons in the brain is associated with autism.

A protein linked to language development, FOXP2, regulates the autism candidate gene MET, according to a study published 10 August in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Blood cells from individuals who have autism produce less-than-normal amounts of SHANK3 and NLGN3 proteins, according to a study published 26 May in Molecular Autism.

A new study provides the first functional link between the schizophrenia risk gene DISC1 and two candidate genes for autism. DISC1 significantly alters expression of NRXN1 and NRXN2 at key phases of development, according to a brief report in the June issue of Molecular Psychiatry.

Two networks of genes are abnormally expressed in the brains of people with autism, according to a study published today in Nature.

Long bundles of neurons that connect key regions in the brain develop abnormally in the first year of life in children with autism, according to new findings presented Friday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Diego.

Family support groups may be the best messengers to convey the urgent need for brain tissue in autism research, say scientists struggling with inadequate resources.