Study of Genetic Patterns in Families May Help Understand the Mechanism of Autism

A research by a Rutger’s professor and chair of the Department of Genetics in the School of Arts and Sciences, Linda Brzustowisz, reveals that genes in two closely linked chromosomes that are responsible for impairment in the oral and written ability of humans could result in similar behavioral patterns among family members with one being autistic while the other developing only language or speech problems. She and her team are working to identify genetic patterns in these families so as to better understand the mechanism of autism. Apart from language findings, other symptoms of autism like obsessive compulsive, repetitive behavior and social interaction skills are also areas that show a genetic link. Brzustowisz says that their next attempt will be to sequence the genomes and try and determine whether there is a common genetic structure or mutation across the families in the study group as well.