Highlights from IMFAR 2008:
Saturday, May 17
Title: The Broader Autism Phenotype and the new genetics of familial and non-familial autism
Overview: New discoveries in molecular genetics are changing the landscape of our understanding of the causes of autism. In familial autism, it is common (significantly more so than in the general population) for clinically-unaffected male family members to exhibit features of what is known as the broader autism phenotype (BAP). This may not be true for females or for non-familial autism. The implications of the BAP for understanding the biology of autism are potentially profound. This presentation will cover recent scientific findings on the clinical, genetic, neurobiologic and epidemiologic features of the BAP, how it relates to other autism endophenotypes, and how quantitative characterization of the BAP can aid in the search for core genetic and neurobiologic components of autistic syndromes.