Class
Article
College
College of Science
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Sara Freeman
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a common neurological disorder with a wide range of symptoms, many of them social in nature. Although there is a large body on research regarding ASD, up until now there is no gene-brain-behavior link that has shown the exact cause of ASD. In 2018, Dr. Sara Freeman's research showed differences in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) binding density in two brain regions between typically developing and ASD individuals. Here we show that about 50% of the variation seen in Dr. Freeman's study can be explained by genetic variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) in the OXTR gene, with three specific SNPs being implicated. This is a significant step forward in autism research, and with continuing research we hope to fully establish the first gene-brain-behavior link for ASD.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-8-2022 12:00 AM
Included in
Analysis of the Relationship Between Oxytocin Receptor Mutations, Oxytocin Receptor Binding and Autism
Logan, UT
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a common neurological disorder with a wide range of symptoms, many of them social in nature. Although there is a large body on research regarding ASD, up until now there is no gene-brain-behavior link that has shown the exact cause of ASD. In 2018, Dr. Sara Freeman's research showed differences in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) binding density in two brain regions between typically developing and ASD individuals. Here we show that about 50% of the variation seen in Dr. Freeman's study can be explained by genetic variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) in the OXTR gene, with three specific SNPs being implicated. This is a significant step forward in autism research, and with continuing research we hope to fully establish the first gene-brain-behavior link for ASD.