The Genetic Mystery of Why Some People Develop Autism

 A recent BBC article by David Cox discusses how a single gene mutation causes a critical neurological difference. Scientists have been able to distinguish over 100 genes where these mutations occur. Current research examines how neurodevelopment leads to autism. A critical part of brain development occurs in the womb at 12 to 24 weeks. These findings have raised questions about using genetic information to influence reproductive decisions.

The findings show that there is still a significant degree to which genes cannot identify the diagnosis of autism. More recently, there has been a partnership with 23andMe, where scientists are able to collect data on people's ability to read their emotions and compare their genetic information. Through the information collected, they were able to associate a large group of people who carried poor emotion recognition with a specific gene variant. Other research has also shown that it has a negative correlation with the genes associated with social communication. The multiple tests that were constructed demonstrate that scientists need to recognize neurodiversity to help better diagnose single-gene mutations.