Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire
Approximately 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to Medical News Today, three studies compared all of the DNA of people with ASD with that of people who do not, and small genetic differences were discovered that impact the manner in which brain cells connect to make the circuitry of a child’s brain. The largest of the three studies evaluated the DNA of over 10,000 people, states the report.
These finding suggest that “genetic differences in how cells in the brain link together could influence susceptibility to ASD on a large scale,” states the report. Scientists are now “starting to see genetic pathways in ASD that make sense.”
According to the report, scientists plan to do a more extensive genome-wide association study to discover more pieces of the complex ASD genetics puzzle.