Neurodevelopmental disorders like autism very likely have their origin at the dawn of life, with the emergence of inappropriate connectivity between nerve cells in the brain. In one such disorder, Rett syndrome, the pathology is traceable to the failure of a specific gene, called MECP2. Today, a team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) publishes results of experiments in mice suggesting how MECP2 mutations further impair affected individuals later on in life.
Read the related story: In mouse model of Rett syndrome, research reveals how adult learning is impaired in females