Health
Groups join to detect autism genes
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 14, 2005
The National Institutes of Health and three advocacy groups have joined forces to identify genes that may contribute to the development of autism and autism spectrum disorders. The new consortium has funded five grants representing three projects. The National Institute of Mental Health will administer the $10.8 million awards over the next five years.
Research suggests a strong interaction between environmental factors and multiple unknown genes is a cause of the neurodevelopmental disorder that results in severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, speaking and relating to others.
The hope is that as researchers gain an understanding of the genes responsible for autism, they may be better able to distinguish between the different variants of the disorder and develop targeted therapies and interventions to treat them.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/11/14/hlbf1114.htm.
