Sensory abnormalities could be among the first signs of autism risk — and a target for early treatment.

Monkeys with multiple copies of the gene MeCP2 have irregular brain waves similar to those seen in some children with autism.

People with autism show atypical patterns of gaze even when they are explicitly asked to look at another person’s eyes.

A new tool marries an unusually bright fluorescent protein to a light-sensitive pigment to illuminate individual neurons as they fire.

Tracking dozens of autism-related behaviors in nearly 200 strains of mice, researchers are linking the behaviors to specific genetic regions.

Infants born prematurely show alterations in the structure and function of their brain circuits — findings that may help explain their increased risk for autism.

A head-mounted device tracks both blood flow and electrical activity in the brains of moving rats.

People with different genetic forms of autism may have distinct brain-wave signatures, according to preliminary data presented yesterday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

A blood pressure drug called bumetanide may shield the brain from the effects of severe seizures early in life.

For 2014, rather than compile the ‘top tools and techniques’ — a list certain to include CRISPR and other technical tricks detailed in our weekly Toolboxes — we asked researchers to dream up the next big tool in autism research. Their wishes range from protein sequencers to scanners that can capture brain activity during daily activities.