Autism not as hereditary as previously thought
2011-07-05 22:36:33.571053+02 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
The results suggest that environmental factors common to twins explain about 55% of the liability to autism. Although genetic factors also play an important role, they are of substantially lower magnitude than estimates from prior twin studies of autism. Nearly identical estimates emerged for ASD, suggesting that ASD presents the same liability spectrum as strict autism.
SFGate: UCSF, Stanford autism study shows surprises:
"We're not trying to say there isn't a genetic component - quite the opposite. But for most individuals with autism spectrum disorder, it's not simply a genetic cause," said Neil Risch, director of the UCSF Institute for Human Genetics, who designed the study.