University at Buffalo scientists have discovered a convergent mechanism that may be responsible for how two top-ranked genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorder/intellectual disability (ASD/ID) lead to these neurodevelopmental disorders. While ASD is distinct from ID, a significant proportion—approximately 31%—of people with ASD also exhibit ID. Neither condition is well-understood at the molecular level. “Given the vast number of genes known to be involved in ASD/ID and the many potential mechanisms contributing to the disorders, it is exciting to find a shared process between two different genes at the molecular level that could be underlying the behavioral changes,” said Megan Conrow-Graham, Ph.D., first author and an MD/Ph.D. candidate in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.
