Researchers from Loyola University New Orleans have discovered that certain genetic variations traced back to Neanderthals are more common in people with autism.
Publishing their findings in Molecular Psychiatry, the researchers have provided evidence that a subset of Neanderthal DNA has led to autism.
“In our study, we've found that autistic people, on average, have more rare Neanderthal variants, not that they have more Neanderthal DNA in general,' explained lead researcher Dr Emily Casanova '...that means that while not all Neanderthal DNA is necessarily influencing autism susceptibility, a subset is.'
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