Risk for Autism Across Generations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a complex inheritance pattern and is more common in males. Etiologic models suggest that most ASD risk is transmitted through common and rare de novo genetic variation. It has been hypothesized that rare variation could be inherited and therefore contribute to the overall risk burden in subsequent generations, especially through female lineage in disorders with male-skewed sex ratios.

Citation:
Reichenberg A, Schendel D, Gissler M, Bresnahan M, Francis R, ……. Leonard H, Devlin B, et al. Risk for Autism Across Generations. Biol Psychiatry. 2026;10.

Keywords:
Autism; Epidemiology; Maternal age; Multigeneration; Paternal age; Risk factors

Abstract:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a complex inheritance pattern and is more common in males. Etiologic models suggest that most ASD risk is transmitted through common and rare de novo genetic variation. It has been hypothesized that rare variation could be inherited and therefore contribute to the overall risk burden in subsequent generations, especially through female lineage in disorders with male-skewed sex ratios.