Many gene variants have been linked to autism, but how do these
subtle changes alter the brain, and ultimately, behavior? Using
a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists
at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute
for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate
how genetic variants rewire the brain. Published in the Nov. 3
online edition of Science Translational Medicine, their
discovery offers the crucial missing physical evidence that
links altered genes to modified brain function and learning.
"This is a key piece of the puzzle we've been searching for,"
said co-principal investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind, a professor
of neurology and psychiatry who holds UCLA's Gordon and Virginia
MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Human Genetics. "Now we can
begin to unravel the mystery of how genes rearrange the brain's
circuitry not only in autism, but in many related neurological
disorders." The UCLA team scrutinized the differences in brain
connectivity and functi