Genes related to sex steroids, neural growth, and social–emotional behavior are associated with autistic traits, empathy, and Asperger syndrome

Chakrabarti, B.; Dudbridge, F.; Kent, L.; Wheelwright, S.; Hill‐Cawthorne, G.; Allison, C.; Banerjee‐Basu, S.; Baron‐Cohen, S.

doi:10.1002/aur.80

Genes related to sex steroids, neural growth, and social–emotional behavior are associated with autistic traits, empathy, and Asperger syndrome

Genetic studies of autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have mostly focused on the “low functioning” severe clinical subgroup, treating it as a rare disorder. However, ASC is now thought to be relatively common (∼1%), and representing one end of a quasi‐normal distribution of autistic traits in the g…