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" Scientists have discovered genetic variations that appear to play a significant role in determining a person&amp;#039;s risk of autism, a lifelong developmental disorder. Two studies, both of which appear in the latest issue of Nature journal, were conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Children&amp;#039;s Hospital of Philadelphia. In one study, researchers found that children with autism commonly have specific genetic variants that occur on a cluster between two genes on chromosome 5, CDH10 and CDH9. Co-senior author Dr Gerard Schellenberg, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, revealed that the team studied more than 10,000 children, including more than 4,500 with an autism spectrum disorder. &amp;#039;This work yields important clues on what goes awry during development in children with autism and will help us focus on what is the cause of autism at a molecular level,&amp;#039; he said. Meanwhile, a second study identified genes that are deleted or duplicated on a particular genetic network involved in the development of the nervous system. Dr Raynard Kington, acting director of the National Institutes of Health, said that the findings confirm a &amp;#039;strong role&amp;#039; for genetic factors in autism. &amp;#039;Detailed analysis of the genes and how they affect brain development is likely to yield better strategies for diagnosing and treating children with autism,&amp;#039; he added. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a18052/study-underlines-role-of-genes-in-autism/>