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Nature 454, 838-839 (14 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/454838a; Published online 13 August 2008

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Autism: Family connections

Daniel H. Geschwind1

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Autism is a common neurodevelopmental syndrome with a strong genetic component. The study of autistic individuals whose parents are cousins highlights the genetic diversity of this condition.

Genetically complex human disorders, such as obesity and Alzheimer's disease, also occur in rare inherited forms — that is, a disease-causing mutation arises that can be passed on to the next generation. Studying such rare mutations is a powerful strategy for gaining insight into the mechanisms of the more common forms of a disease1.

  1. Daniel H. Geschwind is in the Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, and at the Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095–1769, USA.
    Email: dhg@mednet.ucla.edu

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