Overlap in genes altered in schizophrenia, autism, intellectual disability
Tuesday, April 29, 2014 - 15:03
in Health & Medicine
New evidence supporting the theory that in at least some cases of schizophrenia, autism and intellectual disability, malfunctions in some of the same genes are contributing to pathology has been released. Schizophrenia is thought to be caused in many instances by gene mutations passed from parents to children, the effects of which may be enhanced by adverse environmental factors. In contrast, de novo mutations, or DNMs, are gene defects in offspring that neither parent possesses. Researchers used these differences as their focus in the new study.