Deep brain structures—including the striatum and thalamus—are more dysregulated in some people with autism than was previously recognized, according to two new preprints that analyze multiple brain regions. During mid-gestation, genes linked to profound autism are most active in the thalamus, one of the studies found. And people with variants and chromosomal alterations linked to […]
Measuring self-harm: Two new studies investigate aspects of suicidality in autistic adults; both studies found more suicide-related behaviors in autistic people than in non-autistic people. One paper reported that, after accounting for participants’ experiences of trauma that contribute to mental health issues, people with autism were more likely to report self-harm, suicide attempts and suicide […]
A laboratory animal’s environment can have a dramatic impact on its behavior. For example, rats reared in enriched housing and large social groups are adept at coping with stress. Rodents living in conventional cages, however, commonly show signs of depression and display repetitive behaviors. But aside from studying rodents in the wild, researchers have limited options for […]
People with autism who are diagnosed earlier as opposed to later in life have distinct genetic profiles, according to a study published last month in Nature. Many factors may influence when someone receives their diagnosis, and several theories explain how genetics contributes. By one line of thinking, people who have subtle autism-related traits during early […]
Research digest: In this week’s roundup, we’re sharing papers that study gene-dosage effects, alternative splicing of the NRXN1 gene and sleep problems in autistic youth. We spotted two items, both from the same Yale University group, that investigate behavioral effects in SHANK3-deficient mice: One reported a decrease in sociability when the gene was down-regulated in […]
On 19 November 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed language on a “vaccine safety” page on its website to assert that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence based. The updated CDC page now incorrectly suggests that a link between infant vaccination and autism exists, and it casts […]
A gene therapy that compensates for a missing copy of SYNGAP1, a gene strongly associated with autism, diminishes hyperactivity and brain activity linked to epilepsy, according to a new study in mice. The therapy also normalizes brain-wave patterns linked to learning, memory, attention and sensory processing. “This is the first published study to use a […]
Pregnant pause: Gestational diabetes increases the chances of having a baby girl with autism, according to a new study. The case-control study in 4,546 mother-child pairs examined relationships between glucose intolerance during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental conditions in children; no relationship was found for baby boys. Another population study found a relationship between pre-pregnancy body mass […]
Pregnant pause: Gestational diabetes increases the chances of having a baby girl with autism, according to a new study. The case-control study in 4,546 mother-child pairs examined relationships between glucose intolerance during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental conditions in children; no relationship was found for baby boys. Another population study found a relationship between pre-pregnancy body mass […]
Recently, I asked my son to take his night meds, and his nervous system disability activated his fight-or-flight response. He pushed me, I fell, and then he hit and scratched, leaving red marks on my arms and chest. Later that night, he texted to start the repair process, but I wasn’t ready. The wounds were […]
The purported autism-microbiome connection is having a moment. It’s the focus of a new $50-million call for proposals from Wellcome Leap—a research initiative of the Wellcome Trust—and a 2024 Netflix documentary portrays fecal microbiota transplants as a promising treatment for autism-related traits. “It seems to have captured the public’s imagination,” says Kevin Mitchell, associate professor […]
Cell inventory: A new study demonstrates the power of combining molecular biology methods to ascertain somatic mosaicism in people. The investigators used single-cell, whole-genome amplification in induced pluripotent stem cells in combination with methods for parallel analysis of genomes and transcriptomes to characterize genetic variation in different tissues from the same person. Potential errors were […]
