Researchers who spoke with Spectrum say that while brain imaging tools have their limitations, they still hold promise in helping to unlock the brain’s secrets. 

For researchers who work with study participants in person, lockdowns made it impossible to obtain fresh data, a survey finds.

The review of more than two dozen studies finds aripiprazole has side effects and does not change core autism features, but parents report improvements in self-injury, tantrums, and other challenging behaviors.

Five collaborations involving autistic scientists and experts are advancing autism research, from lending support for theories of the condition to shoring up trials of new treatments.

Conversations between the immune and central nervous systems are proving to be essential for the healthy social behavior, learning, and memory.

Growing ranks of researchers on the spectrum are overcoming barriers—from neurotypical bias to sensory sensitivities—to shape autism science.

A large twin study in Sweden finds genetics has a much larger influence on the odds of an autism diagnosis, and has remained consistent over time.

Kim Peek, the inspiration for the title character in Rain Man, brought public attention to savant syndrome.

Labs are trying to figure out who will care for animals and organoids and some clinical trials are put on hold.

Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

Cell lines from individuals with macrocephalic autism spectrum disorder have an increased number of double-strand breaks in the DNA of long neural genes.

A mouse model of autism and postmortem brains of autistic individuals showed a lack of mature oligodendrocytes and less myelination than controls.

An accumulation of T cells and astrocytes in postmortem brain tissue hints at possible autoimmune origins for many cases of autism.

A study in mice suggests serotonin release underlies the drug’s prosocial effects while dopamine mediates the rewarding properties that drive its potential for abuse.

Experimental surgeries to prevent seizures may help scientists understand the link between autism and epilepsy.

Brain scans of autistic and non-autistic men reveal an association between white matter aberrations and the ages of their fathers at the time the sons were born.

So far, the only evidence that treatments like this one work is anecdotal.

Independent scientists say the original analysis is flawed; the authors stand by their work and are seeking outside statisticians to reanalyze the data.

An RNA analysis of human brain cells reveals gene expression changes in cortical neurons and microglia linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).