Genes 'have key role in autism'

According to researchers, genetics plays an important role in the development of autism and related conditions. The small changes occur in the genes that form and keep the connections between the brain cells. Dr Raynard Kington, of the US National Institutes of Health, said: "Detailed analysis of the genes and how they affect brain development is likely to yield better strategies for diagnosing and treating children with autism." In the largest study led by the University of Pennsylvania, researchers scanned the human genome of more than 10,000 people to look for differences in the genes of people who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those who do not. The study found genetic variants in two genes found in chromosome 5 which control the production of proteins that help cells stick together and form nervous connections. Researchers calculate that if they fix one variant linked to a gene present in over 65% of the cases, the number of autism cases will decrease by 15%. Lead researcher Dr Hakon Hakonarson believes that the genetics of ASD is likely to be complex: "Because other autism researchers have made intriguing suggestions that autism arises from abnormal connections among brain cells during early development, it is very compelling to find evidence that mutations in genes involved in brain interconnections increase a child's risk of autism. There are going to be many genes involved in causing autism.” Professor Simon Baron-Cohenn, an autism expert at the University of Cambridge, said that 133 genes have been linked to autism, but that work is still needed to study how the genes interact with each other and the environment.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8020837.stm