The Genetic and Neurobiologic Compass Points Toward Common Signaling Dysfunctions in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Overview

Journal J Clin Invest

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2009 Apr 3

PMID 19339766

Citations 131

Authors

Pat Levitt

Daniel B Campbell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with high heritability. Here, we discuss data supporting the view that there are at least two distinct genetic etiologies for ASD: rare, private (de novo) single gene mutations that may have a large effect in causing ASD; and inherited, common functional variants of a combination of genes, each having a small to moderate effect in increasing ASD risk. It also is possible that a combination of the two mechanisms may occur in some individuals with ASD. We further discuss evidence from individuals with a number of different neurodevelopmental syndromes, in which there is a high prevalence of ASD, that some private mutations and common variants converge on dysfunctional ERK and PI3K signaling, which negatively impacts neurodevelopmental events regulated by some receptor tyrosine kinases.

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