Autism Spectrum Disorders: Complex disorders with a complex genetic architecture

Munich Psychiatry Lecture Series | MPLS

  • Date: Oct 24, 2017
  • Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Christine Freitag
  • Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Autism Research and Intervention Center of Excellence University Hospital Frankfurt
  • Location: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
  • Room: Kraepelin Seminarroom
  • Host: Dimitris Bolis
  • Contact: dimitris_bolis@psych.mpg.de
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Complex disorders with a complex genetic architecture
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) show a high heritability of 60-90%. The phenotype is complex, with many comorbid psychiatric disorders, and variable cognitive and language impairments.

The underlying genetic etiology has been studied over years by linkage, association, and sequencing studies. Neuropathological studies have found disorganized gray and white matter, increased number of neurons, decreased volume of neuronal soma, and increased neuropil. Despite this common underlying neuropathology, the underlying genetic etiology is heterogeneous and complex. Network based approaches may by a way to elicit a common genetic etiology underlying ASD and its diverse phenotypic expression.

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