Mice with autism- or schizophrenia-linked mutations only in the anterodorsal thalamus have problems with long-term and working memory.

Mounting evidence suggests that autism often involves upsets in homeostatic plasticity, a set of processes neurons use to stabilize their activity. These disruptions result from a range of autism-linked mutations and may help to explain the condition’s famed heterogeneity.

In this week’s Community Newsletter, we take a look at studies on how COVID-19 and social isolation have affected autistic people, how camouflaging and age at diagnosis can shape first impressions, and reactions to our article on the controversial “cost of autism” paper.

Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 9 August.

Conflicts of interest and methodological issues sully a study published 18 July in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, autism researchers say.

Premature birth is tied to an increased chance of having autism, according to the largest study yet looking for a potential connection.