New Mutations in Autistic People May Be Due to Older Fathers

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-04/new-mutations-in-autistic-people-may-be-due-to-older-fathers.html

Newly found gene mutations tied to autism may one day help scientists classify types of the developmental disorder and shape treatments based on their DNA profiles, researchers said.

The mutations aren’t found in parents of autistic people, and don’t guarantee children will have autism, the scientists found. Some, though, are more common in children of older fathers, with the risk rising as the men age, according to one of three papers reported in the journal Nature.

One in 88 U.S. children have autism spectrum disorders, according to a March 29 federal report. Although the disorders are classed together, symptoms are frequently different and DNA may hint at ways to group similar patients, said Evan Eichler, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle and a study author.

“The analogy I’m hearing, and it’s being used increasingly, is that it’s like cancer,” said Andy Shih, vice president for scientific affairs at Autism Speaks, who wasn’t involved in the research. “The analogy is apt; many researchers say we aren’t looking at a single disorder.”