New Insights Into Each Parent's Role in the Genetics of Autism
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 23, 2023 -- Researchers working to unlock the mysteries of autism report they have discovered differences among children when two in a family have the condition versus just one.
Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York have been researching the genetic origins of autism for two decades. Their discoveries have included thousands of genes that, when damaged, may cause a child to be born with an autism spectrum disorder.
They still couldn’t account for all cases, so they analyzed the genomes of more than 6,000 volunteer families.
The researchers discovered that in families that have two or more children with autism, the siblings shared more of their father’s genome -- the complete set of DNA.
Conversely, in families where only one sibling had autism, the children shared less of their father’s genome.
It’s not clear how the father’s genome has this impact.
Scientists had previously thought that siblings with autism shared more of their mother’s genome than their father’s.
One theory now is that some fathers may carry protective mutations that fail to get passed on.
It’s also possible that fathers may pass down mutations that trigger the mother’s immune system to attack the developing embryo, said co-author Ivan Iossifov, an associate professor at Cold Spring.
These theories may offer some hope for parents of children with autism and other neurological disorders like schizophrenia.
“Our future research is exciting,” Iossifov said in a laboratory news release. “If one of those theories or two of them prove to be true, then it opens different treatment strategies, which can, in the future, affect quite a lot of families.”
The research may also make it possible to better understand autism and to diagnose it earlier, the researchers said.
Autism spectrum disorder varies widely in severity and covers a range of neurological and developmental conditions. About 1 in 36 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, which can affect communication, socialization, learning and behavior.
“There are children diagnosed with autism who are high-functioning,” Iossifov said. “They have a completely productive life, although they have some minor troubles in social interactions, as most of us do. But also, there are children diagnosed with autism who never learn to speak, and they have definitely a difficult life.”
The research was published recently in Cell Genomics.
Sources
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, news release, May 22, 2023
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2023
Read this next
Feds Announce New Measures to Monitor, Prevent Bird Flu
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- H5N1 avian flu is now infecting U.S. dairy cows and the federal government on Friday announced a myriad of initiatives aimed at preventing the virus'...
His Cancer Journey Shows Health Dangers Firefighters Face
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- For 14 years, David Perez fought fires in South Florida, thinking he was in peak physical shape. Then a routine physical turned up anomalies in his blood...
Baby Girl Born Deaf Gains Hearing After Gene Therapy
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- Opal Sandy was born into a world she could not hear. The British baby girl, now 18 months old, had a rare genetic condition called auditory...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.
