Pangenomic approaches to the genetics of autism, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 2 February.

By Jill Adams

3 February 2026 | 2 min read

Family affairs: In a new paper, researchers compared the genomes of 189 people from 51 families to search for genetic variation linked to autism. Using phased genome assemblies to generate long-read sequencing data, the investigators identified three likely variants: TBL1XR1, MECP2 and SYNGAP1. They also pinpoint several de novo candidates and inherited homozygous structural variants that conventional short-read sequencing had missed, which, the authors suggest, shows that their methodology can yield new insights into the genetics of autism.

Autism research spotted this week:

“Convergent thyroid-ATPase interactions regulate collective behavior in Danionella” Cell Reports

Research image of fish. — **Collective action:** Schooling is a social behavior in fish that depends on a molecular pathway involving the KLF9 transcription factor (magenta) and an ATPase subunit (green), which are widely co-expressed across the brain.

“Protein language models trained on biophysical dynamics inform mutation effects” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
“Differential GABA dynamics across brain functional networks in autism” Communications Biology
“A dimensional analysis of autism: The role of basic socio-cognitive skills for social competence in children” Journal of Neuropsychology
“Behavioral assessment reliability in clinical phenotyping and biomarker research for autism” medRxiv
“Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy’s vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear” STAT