title: Association study between autistic-like traits and polymorphisms in the autism candidate regions RELN, CNTNAP2, SHANK3, and CDH9/10.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autistic-like traits (ALTs) are continuously distributed in the general population, with the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the upper extreme end. A genetic overlap has been shown between ALTs and ASD, indicating that common variation in ASD candidate genes may also influence ALTs. In our study, we have investigated the SNP rs4307059 that has been associated with both ALTs and ASD. In addition, we genotyped polymorphisms in a selection of genes involved in synaptic functioning, that is, SHANK3, RELN, and CNTNAP2, which repeatedly have been associated with ASD. The possible associations of these polymorphisms with ALTs, as well as genetic factors for neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs), were investigated in a large cohort from the general population: The Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. For analyses of ALTs and NDPs, 12,319 subjects (including 2,268 monozygotic (MZ) and 3,805 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs) and 8,671 subjects (including 2,243 MZ and 2,044 DZ twin pairs), respectively, were included in the analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We could not replicate the previous association between rs4307059 and social communication impairment. Moreover, common variations in CNTNAP2 (rs7794745 and rs2710102), RELN (rs362691), and SHANK3 (rs9616915) were not significantly associated with ALTs in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results do not suggest that the investigated genes, which previously has been found associated with ASD diagnosis, have any major influence on ALTs in children from the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, POB 431, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, POB 431, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zettergren
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, POB 431, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hovey
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anckarsäter
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, POB 431, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Westberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden ; Swedish Prison and probation service, R&D unit, Gothenburg, Sweden ; Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lundström
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, POB 431, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Melke
keywords: A-TAC; Autism spectrum disorder; Autistic-like traits; CATSS; CNTNAP2; RELN; SHANK3; rs4307059