An
Overview of Genetic and Environmental Risk of Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Jianjun Ou
1, Ruiting
Liu 2, Yidong Shen
1, Kun Xia2, Jingping Zhao 1*
1 Department of Psychiatry &
Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital,
Central South University, the China National
Clinical Research Center for Mental Health Disorders, National Technology
Institute of Psychiatry, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of
Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China
2 Center for Medical Genetics and School of Life
Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Received
October 8, 2018; Accepted December 6, 2018
ABSTRACT
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically
diagnosed in children in the first few years of life. Genetic studies have demonstrated
a moderate to high heritability of ASD, but only a limited number of single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified.
Meanwhile, numerous single de novo rare
variants and copy number variations have been detected
in patients with ASD, which are likely caused by environmental factors. Here we
provide an overview of genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to
the risk of ASD and we recommend that further study should be focused on
both genes and environmental factors, as well as their
interactions with the expectation that epigenetic studies will lead to
understanding the link between the environment and risk of ASD.
KEYWORDS
Genetic association; environmental risk factors; autism spectrum disorder
Correspondence: Jingping
Zhao, Email: zhaojingping@csu.edu.cn
How to cite this article:
Ou J,
Liu R, Shen Y, Xia K, Zhao J. An overview of the genetic and environmental
risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Glob Clin Transl Res. 2019;1(1):37-44. DOI:10.36316/gcatr.01.0005
Copyright © 2019 by Global
Clinical and Translational Research.
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