Autism Advance: Mutated genes disrupt nerve cell proteins
By John Travis
A French research team has identified two mutated genes that appear to cause the neurological disorder known as autism. The little-studied genes both normally yield proteins that nerve cells use to form communication channels.
“These are the first genes convincingly linked to autism,” says team member Thomas Bourgeron of the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Other researchers find the evidence compelling, if not quite conclusive. “These are really good candidates” for autism genes, says Edwin Cook of the University of Chicago.