title: Another piece of the autism puzzle.
abstract: A new study has identified rare de novo mutations in SHANK2 in individuals with autism and/or mental retardation. SHANK2 encodes a scaffolding protein present in excitatory synapses. This finding sheds some light on the pathophysiology of social and cognitive disability.
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: State
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C539628:NRXN1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; C122162:SHANK2 protein, human