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Nature Neuroscience 9, 1221–1225 (1 October 2006) | doi:10.1038/nn1765

Fragile X syndrome and autism at the intersection of genetic and neural networks

Matthew K Belmonte & Thomas Bourgeron

Autism, an entirely behavioral diagnosis with no largely understood etiologies and no population-wide biomarkers, contrasts with fragile X syndrome (FXS), a single-gene disorder with definite alterations of gene expression and neuronal morphology. Nevertheless, the behavioral overlap between autism and FXS suggests some overlapping mechanisms. Understanding how the single-gene alteration in FXS plays out within complex genetic and neural network processes may suggest targets for autism research and illustrate strategies for relating autism to more singular genetic syndromes.