New research suggests that small changes in brain connectivity early in life may lead to big changes that contribute to autism and intellectual disabilities. The study, which explores how disruption to the gene Kirrel3 affects the developing brain, could help explain why some people with mutations in the gene develop these conditions. Megan Williams, PhD, assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah, explains the research and what's next. The work was published in the journal eLife on November 17, 2015.