Finding a Gene for Autism

Professor Daniel Geschwind discusses the importance of his group's discovery of an autism locus on chromosome 17.

The discovery of the first autism locus at genome-wide significance means that basically we found a region of the genome that is part of the chromosomes that we inherit that is highly likely to have within it a gene that predisposes to autism. This is the first step in the process of identifying the gene, so therefore it is very important. It is as if you are looking for a needle in a haystack but you’re in a field of a thousand haystacks. Here, we’ve found the haystack, and now we have to find that needle within the haystack, and we are moving in fairly rapidly now because genetic technology allows us to do this very rapidly. This particular region is on chromosome 17q, that is the long arm of chromosome 17.

autism, autistic, gene, locus, susceptibility, inheritance, chromosome, 17, 17q, daniel, geschwind, genetic, technology

Related Content

1176. Where is the Autism Locus?

Professor Daniel Geschwind discusses the location of the autism locus.

  • ID: 1176
  • Source: G2C

1177. Autism Endophenotypes

Professor Daniel Geschwind explains that studying endophenotypes is a useful way to understand the complexities of autism.

  • ID: 1177
  • Source: G2C

1204. Difficulties of Finding Genes for Autism

Professor Daniel Geschwind relates difficulties in studying a complex disorder like autism, where no two autistic individuals present with precisely the same symptoms.

  • ID: 1204
  • Source: G2C

880. Relatives' Brains and Autism

Brain scans of close relatives of children with autism reveal clear abnormalities that parallel those seen in autism.

  • ID: 880
  • Source: G2C

15243. The hunt for BRCA1, Mark Skolnick

Mark Skolnick talks about the hunt for BRCA1.

  • ID: 15243
  • Source: DNAi

884. Background to Autism

Autism is a disorder in brain development that becomes apparent in earliest childhood. It is defined by problems in socialization, communication, and repetitive behaviors.

  • ID: 884
  • Source: G2C

15408. Chromosome 13: BRCA2 gene for breast cancer susceptibility, Matt Ridley

Matt Ridley talks about chromosome 13, BRCA2 gene for breast cancer susceptibility.

  • ID: 15408
  • Source: DNAi

1127. Autism - an Epidemic?

Professor David Skuse discusses the rise in autism diagnosis, which does not appear to relate to toxins, immunizations, or allergies.

  • ID: 1127
  • Source: G2C

881. Hotspot for Autism Genes

Several lines of research are converging to show how opposing genetic pathways can lead to autism.

  • ID: 881
  • Source: G2C

1975. Autism

An overview of autism-related content on Genes to Cognition Online.

  • ID: 1975
  • Source: G2C