University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Scientists Identify New Genetic Link To Autism

UCLA scientists have used language onset – the age when a child speaks his first word – as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The team also discovered that the gene is most active in brain regions involved with language and thought. Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls. The American Journal of Human Genetics publishes the findings in its Jan. 10 online edition, which also features two studies from research teams at Yale and Johns Hopkins that used different methods that pinpointed the same gene. The coincidence suggests that the gene, called contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2), likely plays a key role in the development of autism.