A new online database called Braineac details how variations in DNA sequence shape gene expression in the human brain.

Many of the genes that have emerged as the strongest autism candidates have turned out to regulate the expression of hundreds, if not thousands, of other genes. Within these networks, scientists are homing in on pathways that underlie autism.

New estimates on the role of common mutations in autism raise questions about how to quantify and parse genetic risk. Three experts say both common and rare variants are worth pursuing.
 

Common genetic variants that have minor effects may contribute about half the risk of developing autism, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Genetics. Identifying these variants would require tens of thousands of samples.

A long-awaited report, published today in Nature, confirms that with access to tens of thousands of genomes, researchers can identify common genetic risk factors for a complex neuropsychiatric disorder.

Researchers have sequenced hundreds of human and mouse genomes to generate an atlas of more than 200,000 regions that regulate gene expression, they reported 27 March in Nature.

Mutations in TRIM33, a protein that is part of the cell’s cleanup crew, may up the risk for autism, according to a study published 5 November in Molecular Psychiatry.

More of the common variants implicated in schizophrenia are also linked to bipolar disorder than to autism, according to a study published 28 August in Nature Genetics.

A new network analysis of autism genes, published 11 June in Translational Psychiatry, highlights both the pitfalls and the promise of the approach, says Alan Packer.
 

A new statistical method for linking genes to a disorder analyzes both rare and common variants of a gene at the same time, according to a study published 14 May in the American Journal of Human Genetics. This makes it possible to confirm associations that other techniques might overlook.