SchaferAutismReport: New Genetic Link To Autism Discovered By Studying Speech

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Friday, January 11, 2008 Reader Supported Vol. 12 No. 8p

In This Issue:

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RESEARCHNew Genetic Link To Autism Discovered By Studying Speech

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CARE Track People from your PC with PocketFinder

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PEOPLEMcCarron Told Police She Felt `Relieved' After Daughter's Death

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Police: Suspect May Have Killed 1 Child

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EDUCATIONTexas Schools Ordered To Compensate Family of Special-Needs Child

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COMMENTARYThimerosal Vindicated as Cause of Autism: More Questions and Still No Answers

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Response To “Continuing Increases In Autism Reported To California’s Developmental Services System”

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MEDIAAlternative Autism Medicines

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LETTERSRe: Genes — Not Vaccines — Linked to Autism

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DEADLINE For February Autism Events CalendarFriday - January 25 !Submit listing here free! JANUARY CALENDAR of EVENTS!RESEARCHNew Genetic Link To Autism Discovered By Studying Speechtinyurl.com/2f2mfb ScienceDaily — UCLA scientists have used language onset -- the age when a child speaks his first word -- as a tool for identifying a new gene linked to autism. The team also discovered that the gene is most active in brain regions involved with language and thought. Interestingly, evidence for the genetic link came from the DNA of families with autistic boys, not those with autistic girls. The American Journal of Human Genetics publishes the findings in its Jan. 10 online edition, which also features two studies from research teams at Yale and s Hopkins that used different methods that pinpointed the same gene. The coincidence suggests that the gene, called contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2), likely plays a key role in the development of autism. "This gene not only may predispose children to autism," said Dr. Geschwind, principal investigator and Gordon and Virginia Mac Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics at the Geffen School of Medicine. "It also may influence the development of brain structures involved in language, providing a tangible link between genes, the brain and behavior." Children normally utter their first word by age 1. Children with autism, however, can be speech-delayed by many months or even years. Some never speak language at all. Late language onset is a symptom shared by most children with autism. In an earlier study, the UCLA investigators studied the DNA of 291 families nationwide who had donated blood samples to the Los Angeles-based Autism Genetic Resource Exchange. Each family had at least one autistic child; youngsters who had never spoken were excluded. The findings connected a specific region of Chromosome 7, called 7q35, to autism. In the current study, the researchers scrutinized every gene in the 7q35 region using DNA samples from 172 families. They identified four promising genes; one of the candidates was CNTNAP2. To verify their findings, the scientists conducted a second test on a new group of 304 families. The CNTNAP2 gene showed up consistently, confirming its implication in language development. In a second approach, the researchers examined CNTNAP2's presence in early brain tissue and discovered that the gene was most active in developing brain structures involved in language and thought.+ Read more: tinyurl.com/2f2mfb

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