Hunt for Autism Genes to Be Led by Johns Hopkins Researchers

Johns Hopkins University reports:

With a three-year $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins scientists will lead the largest hunt for genetic contributors to autism, a neuropsychiatric condition whose causes are almost as mysterious today as when the condition was first described in 1943.

The researchers will apply new genome-searching technologies to available samples and information from 465 families, including 979 individuals with autism, to identify genetic factors that contribute to the condition.