Stanford rat study may help find treatment for autism in humans

Scientists at Stanford may have discovered a breakthrough in determining the cause of autism.

In a study of mice with autism, the brain cells were not damaged, but had trouble communicating with one another.

By fixing that communication problem, the autistic mice spent more time socializing with other animals and were less hyperactive when alone.

There's hope that finding a way to change the cell's behavior in humans can eventually lead to treatment of the disorder.