Important genetic link to autism
FEBRUARY 19, 2007
Scientists working on the largest ever study into the cause of autism have identified two genetic links which they believe may pre-dispose children to develop the disorder. The latest results from the Autism Genome Project (AGP) a collaboration between more than 120 scientists from 19 countries, including Professor Patrick Bolton at the Institute of Psychiatry, is an important step forward.
The study looked at 1,168 families in which two or more members were affected by autism, it found that a previously unidentified region of chromosone 11 may be linked to the disorder. The research results are published in the latest edition of Nature Genetics and also revealed that a gene called neurexin 1 could be implicated.