Cited by 262Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersSchizophrenia research and treatment

Comparative genomics of autism and schizophrenia

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Crespi, Bernard, Stead, Philip, Elliot, Michael·2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

We used data from studies of copy-number variants (CNVs), single-gene associations, growth-signaling pathways, and intermediate phenotypes associated with brain growth to evaluate four alternative hypotheses for the genomic and developmental relationships between autism and schizophrenia: ( i ) autism subsumed in schizophrenia, ( ii ) independence, ( iii ) diametric, and ( iv ) partial overlap. Data from CNVs provides statistical support for the hypothesis that autism and schizophrenia are associated with reciprocal variants, such that at four loci, deletions predispose to one disorder, whereas duplications predispose to the other. Data from single-gene studies are inconsistent with a hypothesis based on independence, in that autism and schizophrenia share associated genes more often than expected by chance. However, differentiation between the partial overlap and diametric hypotheses using these data is precluded by limited overlap in the specific genetic markers analyzed in both autism and schizophrenia. Evidence from the effects of risk variants on growth-signaling pathways shows that autism-spectrum conditions tend to be associated with up-regulation of pathways due to loss of function mutations in negative regulators, whereas schizophrenia is associated with reduced pathway activation. Finally, data from studies of head and brain size phenotypes indicate that autism is commonly associated with developmentally-enhanced brain growth, whereas schizophrenia is characterized, on average, by reduced brain growth. These convergent lines of evidence appear most compatible with the hypothesis that autism and schizophrenia represent diametric conditions with regard to their genomic underpinnings, neurodevelopmental bases, and phenotypic manifestations as reflecting under-development versus dysregulated over-development of the human social brain.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.0906080106

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  • ToM appears to be distributed in human populations in a spectrum ranging from autism (deficient ToM) to schizophrenia (excessive ToM) with a clear genetic basis.

    “would appear to be distributed in human populations in a spectrum ranging from autism (deficient ToM) to schizophrenia (excessive ToM) with a clear genetic basis (Crespi and Badcock 2008; Crespi et al. 2009)”

    From Body and Mind in Early China: An Integrated Humanities–Science Approach (2013) · cites this paper as Crespi et al. 2009

    The Discussion (page unavailable) describes reduced theory of mind in autism and proposes that psychotic traits may reflect its dysregulated hyperdevelopment. It calls the autism–schizophrenia axis a hypothesis and discusses genetic risk for the conditions, but does not establish a population-wide distribution of theory of mind with a clear genetic basis. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Authors
Crespi, B., Stead, P., & Elliot, M.
Affiliations
Simon Fraser University (CA)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2010-01-26
Volume
107
Issue
suppl_1
Pages
1736-1741
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2021377987
Cited by
262
References
106
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 26
FWCI
11.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, copy number variation, brain growth, head size, brain size, shared genetic risk loci, brain development, social brain
MeSH terms
Autistic Disorder, Humans, Schizophrenia, Gene Dosage, Genomics

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