October 18, 2005 -- NIH Funds Search for Autism Genes

The federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) said today that five of its institutes and three advocacy groups are joining in a search for human genes that may contribute to the development of autism and autism spectrum disorders. The cause of autism, described by the NIH as “a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others,” is currently unknown, but the announcement notes that experts believe as much as 90 percent of autism disorders are due to hereditary factors, with a strong interaction between environmental factors and multiple unknown genes. The initiative announced today, which will provide $10.8 million in awards to five teams of investigators over the next five years, “seeks to expand our knowledge of the genetic factors involved in this disorder that affects so many families,” said the Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in NIH, which will administer the awards. A list of participating institutes and groups in the public-private partnership that is funding the grants, and a list of grant recipients, is available at www.nih.gov/news/pr/oct2005/nimh-18.htm.