Why are Boys More Affected By Autism
Autism is a brain development disorder that is characterized by impaired communication and social interaction coupled with repetitive behavior. According to the ASA 1 out of every 150 children is diagnosed with Autism. That makes autism the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States with an annual growth of 10%-17%. Autism is one of the greatest researched developmental disorders in the United States, but a mystery that continues to plague researchers is why boys are four times more affected then girls. According Time Magazine, the journal of Molecular Psychiatry found a genetic clue that can help account for this discrepancy.
Recently researchers discovered the CACNA1G gene which was coined the autism risk gene. Through extensive research conducted at UCLA, researchers were able to disprove the CACNA1G gene theory as they concluded that there are many more genes in the autism related region on chromosome 17 contributing to autism. Doctor Daniel Geschwind said that he was not surprised that there are multiple genes which contribute to the development of autism because of its great complexity. This set of genetic variance is nearly 40% more common in autistic boys than girls, which gives further insight to the direction in which research will begin to take aim towards.
Al of this provided research is very recent and has great potential for further developments. To learn more about recent discoveries about autism visit the NorthShore University HealthSystem neuroscience department.
