The gene mutations are extremely rare and together account for a tiny
fraction of autism cases, suggesting that the search for therapies will
be a long one, and that what is loosely known as autism may represent a
broad category of related but biologically distinct conditions. There
are likely hundreds, perhaps thousands, of rare mutations that could
disrupt brain development enough to result in social and developmental
delays.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Gene Studies of Autism Point to Mutations and Parents’ Age
Three teams of scientists working independently to understand the biology of autism
have for the first time homed in on several gene mutations that they agree sharply increase the chances that a child will develop the disorder, and have found further evidence that the risk increases with the age of the parents, particularly the father.
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