Skip Over Navigation Links
National Institutes of Health
:

Press Release
October 8, 2004

NIMH Grant to Explore Genetics of Autism

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced this week a 3-year, $3 million grant to Johns Hopkins University to study the genetic factors underlying autism.

In an average year, 2 to 6 new cases of Autism, a neuropsychiatric disorder, arise per 1,000 children. While at least 80 percent of the disorder is due to hereditary factors, experts believe it develops from an interaction between environmental factors and multiple unknown genes. The Johns Hopkins research team, led by Aravinda Chakravarti, Ph.D., proposes to use new genetic analysis technologies to dissect the complex neuropsychiatric traits of autism.

“Although the role of hereditary factors in autism is not in doubt, their nature remains elusive and no single causal gene has yet been identified,” said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. “This initiative is part of a group of projects put forward by NIMH to begin unraveling the underlying genetics of autism.”

The study will apply novel statistical methods and molecular technologies to identify specific genetic markers, or polymorphisms — naturally occurring genetic variations — that may be related to autism. To accomplish this, the researchers will use DNA and clinical data from the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative (www.nimhgenetics.org) and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (www.agre.org), two large repositories of research resources available to the scientific community. The investigators aim to identify specific gene variants that contribute to vulnerability to autism.

###

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior. More information is available at the NIMH website.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation’s Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the NIH website.