Autism spectrum disorders and autistic traits: a decade of new twin studies
- PMID: 21438136
- DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31159
Autism spectrum disorders and autistic traits: a decade of new twin studies
Abstract
Researchers continue to pursue a better understanding of the symptoms, comorbidities, and causes of autism spectrum disorders. In this article we review more than 30 twin studies of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and autistic traits published in the last decade that have contributed to this endeavor. These twin studies have reported on the heritability of autism spectrum disorders and autistic traits in different populations and using different measurement and age groups. These studies have also stimulated debate and new hypotheses regarding why ASDs show substantial symptom heterogeneity, and what causes their comorbidity with intellectual disability, language delay, and other psychiatric disorders such as ADHD. These studies also reveal that the etiology of autism and autistic traits assessed in the general population is more similar than different, which contributes to the question of where the boundary lies between autism and typical development. Recent findings regarding molecular genetic and environmental causes of autism are discussed in the relation to these twin studies. Lastly, methodological assumptions of the twin design are given consideration, as well as issues of measurement. Future research directions are suggested to ensure that this decade is as productive as the last in attempting to disentangle the causes of autism spectrum disorders.
Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Similar articles
-
Evidence that autistic traits show the same etiology in the general population and at the quantitative extremes (5%, 2.5%, and 1%).Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Nov;68(11):1113-21. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.119. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011. PMID: 22065527 Free PMC article.
-
The genetics of autism spectrum disorders and related neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood.Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;167(11):1357-63. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.10020223. Epub 2010 Aug 4. Am J Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 20686188
-
Autism spectrum disorders and autistic like traits: similar etiology in the extreme end and the normal variation.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012 Jan;69(1):46-52. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.144. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012. PMID: 22213788
-
What have we learned from recent twin studies about the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders?Curr Opin Neurol. 2013 Apr;26(2):111-21. doi: 10.1097/WCO.0b013e32835f19c3. Curr Opin Neurol. 2013. PMID: 23426380 Review.
-
The genetics of autism.Pediatrics. 2004 May;113(5):e472-86. doi: 10.1542/peds.113.5.e472. Pediatrics. 2004. PMID: 15121991 Review.
Cited by
-
Maternal socio-economic status based on occupation and autism spectrum disorders: a national case-control study.Nord J Psychiatry. 2015;69(7):523-30. doi: 10.3109/08039488.2015.1011692. Epub 2015 Mar 3. Nord J Psychiatry. 2015. PMID: 25732938 Free PMC article.
-
Genetic variant rs17225178 in the ARNT2 gene is associated with Asperger Syndrome.Mol Autism. 2015 Feb 27;6:9. doi: 10.1186/s13229-015-0009-0. eCollection 2015. Mol Autism. 2015. PMID: 25745553 Free PMC article.
-
Networks of neuronal genes affected by common and rare variants in autism spectrum disorders.PLoS Genet. 2012;8(3):e1002556. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002556. Epub 2012 Mar 8. PLoS Genet. 2012. PMID: 22412387 Free PMC article.
-
Biochemical screening and PTEN mutation analysis in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and macrocephaly.Eur J Hum Genet. 2014 Feb;22(2):273-6. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2013.114. Epub 2013 May 22. Eur J Hum Genet. 2014. PMID: 23695273 Free PMC article.
-
RNA sequencing of identical twins discordant for autism reveals blood-based signatures implicating immune and transcriptional dysregulation.Mol Autism. 2019 Nov 7;10:38. doi: 10.1186/s13229-019-0285-1. eCollection 2019. Mol Autism. 2019. PMID: 31719968 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources