Mutations offer clues to autism

French scientists have identified genetic mutations in a small number of children with autism that could provide insight into the biological basis of the disorder.

They sequenced a gene called SHANK3 in more than 200 people with autism spectrum disorders, which include autism, and found mutations in the gene in members of three families, according to the report in the journal Nature Genetics. The protein encoded by SHANK3 interacts with other proteins called neuroligins, which have a role in giving impulses to the brain, spinal column and nerves.