Gene variant raises autism risk

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said a variation in the gene CNTNAP2 is linked to an increased risk of autism, especially when it is inherited from mothers.

Scientists said inheriting the gene variant does not mean that a child will absolutely develop autism. It means that a child may be more vulnerable to developing the disease, the National Institute of Mental Health said Thursday in a release.

The research was conducted at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"Autism is highly heritable. Identifying the genes involved is crucial to our ability to map out the pathology of this isolating and sometimes terribly disabling disease, which currently has no cure," NIMH Director Dr, Thomas R. Insel said in a statement.

The report said it is likely that variations in many genes, along with environmental factors, interact during brain development to cause vulnerability to the disease.

The finding is published online in the American Journal of Human Genetics.