Press. voanews.com
The causes of
autism are murky, varied and complex. But researchers have taken a step
forward, identifying hundreds of new genes that may play a role in the
development of autism — a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children's
ability to communicate, learn and socialize.
Investigators
say the genes are not necessarily a direct cause of autism, but could contribute
to the condition, meaning the genes that could lead scientists toward finding a
cause and, possibly, a treatment.
Children with
autism have trouble communicating and socializing. The condition runs the
spectrum from mild awkwardness to complete social isolation, which is why it is
called autism spectrum disorder or ASD.
There is no cure
for what has become one of the most common developmental disorders to strike
young children. But early intervention, in the form of physical and behavioral
therapies, has proven to be beneficial.
So far, 65
autism-risk genes have been identified, but their exact role is unknown.
Investigators think there could be anywhere from 400 to 1,000 autism genes
altogether.
Using what they
call a machine-learning computer program, researchers at Princeton University
in the United States discovered 2,500 genes they believe could contribute to
ASD. The new leads were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
There are some
25,000 genes in the human body. To narrow down the genes within the vast brain
circuitry that may contribute to the development of ASD, investigators looked
at the huge array of connections among genes responsible for brain function.
Arjun Krishnan,
a researcher at Princeton's Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics,
likened it to finding friends on Facebook.
"And if
Facebook wanted to find out who your friends are and wanted to suggest a friend
for you, what they would do is find out who your friends are and then find out
other people who are friends with those same people,” Krishnan said. “So that's
how they give you suggestions of new friends you might know. We used a very,
very similar strategy."
Krishnan says
the machine-learning program identified similarities between brain-related
genes and the 65 autism-risk genes, finding still other genes that are
"friends" of both. In this case, 2,500 genes that may increase a
person's risk for autism.
It is the
specific combinations of those genes that may explain why one child on the
spectrum is mildly affected while another child is severely disabled, says Olga
Troyanskaya, a professor of computer science and genomics at Princeton
University.
Discovery of a
distinct pattern of gene interactions that contribute to autism might someday
lead to a test diagnosing children, so they can begin therapy as early as
possible.
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