In this study, we examined the frequency of sensory-related issues as reported by parents in a large sample of school-age adolescents and adults with autism/autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [1] as compared to a group of individuals receiving similar clinical evaluations for developmental/behavioral difficulties but whose final diagnoses were not on the autism spectrum. In no comparison were the f...

CONTEXT Autism is a neurobiological condition with a strong genetic component. Recent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have indicated that white matter structure is aberrant in autism. To date, white matter structure has not been assessed in family members of children with autism. OBJECTIVE To determine whether white matter structure is aberrant in children with autism and their unaffec...

Identification of common molecular pathways affected by genetic variation in autism is important for understanding disease pathogenesis and devising effective therapies. Here, we test the hypothesis that rare genetic variation in the metabotropic glutamate-receptor (mGluR) signaling pathway contributes to autism susceptibility. Single-nucleotide variants in genes encoding components of the mGlu...

Heterogeneity within the autism diagnosis obscures the genetic basis of the disorder and impedes our ability to develop effective treatments. We found that by using two readily available tests, autism can be divided into two subgroups, "essential autism" and "complex autism," with different outcomes and recurrence risks. Complex autism consists of individuals in whom there is evidence of some a...

Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and repetitive behaviors. Diagnosis of autism is currently phenotype based with no reliable laboratory test available to assist clinicians. It has been shown that dysfunction of serotonin (5-HT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are involved in autism. The goal of this study was to evaluate the combined rol...

Autism spectrum conditions (henceforth ‘autism’) refer to a group of neurodevelopmental conditions involving difficulties in social interaction and communication and unusually repetitive and restricted behaviours and interest. Twin and family studies have established a significant heritability for autism. Autism is polygenic with variations across the allele frequency spectrum contributing to r...

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a multifaceted association between genes and the environment. Currently, in the majority of patients, the etiology of autism is not known and coupled with increasing prevalence rates, along with the high degree of heritability of autism, the development of animal models is crucial for studying and developing therapies for autism. A key characteristic...