Autism Genetic Update

Autism associated with defects in mitochondria.
The Los Angeles Times (11/30, Maugh) "Booster Shots" blog reported that, according to a study published in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, children with autism may "have a high incidence of defects in mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' of cells." For the study, researchers from the University of California-Davis "enlisted 10 autistic children, ages two to five...and 10 healthy children of the same age." They found that "one of the 10 autistic children had a full-blown mitochondrial respiratory disease -- a much higher rate than is seen in the normal population -- and that more than half of them had some problems with their mitochondria."
"Mitochondrial dysfunction been implicated in neurological conditions ranging from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," HealthDay (11/30, Goodwin) pointed out, noting that "there are many unknowns, including how mitochondrial dysfunction in brain cells might alter brain function in a way that leads to some of the symptoms of autism, including communication and social difficulties." The study authors "also don't know when the mitochondrial dysfunction starts -- in the womb, in infancy or later, and how that might impact the onset of autism or what other environmental or genetic factors may also contribute."
Nevertheless, WebMD (11/30, Boyles) reported, "based on their findings and those of earlier studies, the researchers concluded that the incidence of mitochondrial disease may be 550 to 770 times higher in autistic children than in the general population." MedPage Today (11/30, Neale) also covers the story.