ABSTRACT
The autism spectrum disorders(ASDs)are a complex group of neuropsychiatric conditions defined by impairment in three core behavioral domains:social interaction,verbal and non-verbal communication,and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Extensive genetic studies have led to the identification of many autism susceptibility genes,and increased understanding on the contribution of de novo and inherited copy number variation. Here,we seek to place recent genetic findings within a developmental and brain circuit context,and approach the basic understanding of autism neuropathology from multiple genetic,molecular,cellular and neural circuit domains. The authors reviewed literatures that interrogates brain mechanisms of ASDs utilizing animal models,primarily in mice. Understanding genetic data within a brain development context will shed light on how individual risk genes operate to determine patient symptomatology,which will inform circuit specific behavioral interventions leading to better intervention and disease outcomes.