Researchers have discovered a group of 26 genes that increase autism risk and are overexpressed in the cerebellum.

Researchers have discovered a group of 26 genes that increase autism risk and are overexpressed in the cerebellum. New research published in PLoS Computational Biology by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Labs surveyed over 3000 genes that were part of the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas. These genes were overexpressed in a specific type of neuron in the cerebellum: the granule cell. These genetic results support previous neuroimaging work that showed altered patterns of brain activity in the cerebellum, as well as clinical observations and data that have found people with autism spectrum disordered frequently have trouble with specific cognitive and motor tasks. The genes identified in this study fell into two major networks that give researchers a better understanding of the pathways along with genetic and environmental factors combine to contribute to the onset of autism spectrum disorders.

Source: http://www.cshl.edu/Article-Mitra/analysis-of-26-networked-autism-genes-suggests-functional-role-in-the-cerebellum