(AP) - Researchers may now have another clue allowing them to be better able to understand autism and treat it.
They've found that a rare genetic variation dramatically raises the risk of developing autism.
Researchers have been focusing on genetic causes of autism, because so many families have multiple children with it. But so far, only about 10 percent of autism cases have a known genetic cause.
Researchers in the Boston area who conducted this latest large study estimate that the gene glitch they've identified will account for another 1 percent of cases.
They're focusing on a chromosome that has genes that are linked to brain development and various developmental disorders. The researchers found that a segment of the chromosome was either missing or duplicated far more often in autistic people.
The results from the Autism Consortium study have been released online by the New England Journal of Medicine.
They confirm the results of smaller studies by U.S. and Canadian research groups in recent months.
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