Researchers Link 25 New Gene Variants to Autism
MONDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty-five newly identified gene variants have been linked to an increased risk for autism, according to a new study.
He and his colleagues discovered the new gene variants after analyzing DNA from thousands of people with and without autism, according to the study published Jan. 14 in the journal PLoS One.
The variations occur in genes involved in the development of neurons and signaling pathways in the brain, the study authors noted in a hospital news release.
"These high-impact variants could be most useful in advising parents who already have one child with an autism spectrum disorder," Hakonarson said in the release. "If a second child has delays in reaching developmental milestones, testing for these [gene variants] could help predict whether that child is also likely to develop an autism spectrum disorder," he explained.
Although the study found an association between these genetic variants and a raised risk of autism spectrum disorder, it did not prove cause-and-effect.
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SOURCE: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, news release, Jan. 14, 2013
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