Multiple Genes for Autism

Professor David Skuse explains that it is highly probable that many different genes cause autism, with each gene contributing a small part to the symptomatology.

Is there likely to be a gene for autism? The answer to that is almost certainly not. A few years ago it was thought that there was a possibility that one gene might account for a substantial proportion of the symptoms we see in conditions of autism. But over the last ten years there has been absolutely no evidence emerging that that’s the case. In fact, we now think it is more likely that there are many different genes that cause autism, no one of which will be responsible for more than a tiny proportion of the symptomatology that we associate with that disorder.