Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Health & Medicine Genetics

Chromosomal abnormalities play important role in autism

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
January 22, 2008
in Genetics, Research
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

According to wikpiedia, Autism is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication, and causes restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years old. It is very heritable, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is generally unclear which genes are responsible.

A study showed that previously unknown chromosomal abnormalities have a substantial role in the prevalent developmental disorder.

“Historical studies in identical twins and their families have provided strong evidence for a genetic basis of autism,” said Stephen Scherer of The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto. “Last year, with the Autism Genome Project Consortium, we did an initial study to look at the rate of chromosomal changes in autism. Now, we’ve really pinned down those numbers.”

This disorder is very complex and it affects 1 in 165 children, making it among the most common disorders of childhood. Those who suffer from it have deficits in social interaction and communication and show a preference for repetitive, stereotyped activities. “Our understanding of the full etiologic role of structural variation in ASD will require genomic and phenotypic analyses of more cases (and their families) and population controls,” the researchers concluded.

ADVERTISEMENT

Anyway this could be a very importing step in helping those who suffer from this disorder.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

“From our current data it is already apparent that for a proportion of individuals, it will be possible to describe their ASD based on the underlying structural characteristics of their genome,” they wrote.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tags: autism
ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Andrei's background is in geophysics, and he's been fascinated by it ever since he was a child. Feeling that there is a gap between scientists and the general audience, he started ZME Science -- and the results are what you see today.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.