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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

A Strategy to Identify de Novo Mutations in Common Disorders such as Autism and Schizophrenia
Published on: June 15, 2011
Contact in the genetics of autism and schizophrenia
J Peter H Burbach1, Bert van der Zwaag
1Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85060, 3508 AB Utrecht, The Netherlands. j.p.h.burbach@umcutrecht.nl <j.p.h.burbach@umcutrecht.nl>
Abstract:
Although autism and schizophrenia are considered to be distinct neuropsychiatric developmental disorders, recent studies indicate that they share genetic factors. The same chromosomal rearrangements and several single genes have emerged as genetic risks in both disorders. One such gene is contactin-associated protein-2 (CNTNAP2). These findings raise the possibility that these neuropsychiatric disorders share pathogenic mechanisms and that similar defects in biological pathways of brain development might underlie the phenotypic spectrum of these disorders.
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