Why autism is more prevalent in boys

Washington Sept 16 (ANI): A new study provides further clues as to why boys are far more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism.

Buzz up!

The new research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

ASD is a neurological disorder

that affects brain functioning, resulting in challenges with communication and social interaction, unusual patterns of behaviour, and often, intellectual deficits. ASD affects one in every 120 children and a startling one in 70 boys.

Though all of the causes of ASD are not yet known, research has increasingly pointed towards genetic factors. In recent years, several genes involved in ASD have successfully been identified.

The research team, led by Dr. John B. Vincent, analyzed the gene sequences of 2,000 individuals with ASD, along with others with an intellectual disability, and compared the results to thousands of population controls.

They found that about one per cent of boys with ASD had mutations in the PTCHD1 gene on the X-chromosome. Similar mutations were not found in thousands of male controls. Also, sisters carrying the same mutation are seemingly unaffected.

Read more here: Why autism is more prevalent in boys – Oneindia News.