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Autism Families with a High Incidence of Alcoholism

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Abstract

To determine the significance of neuropsychiatric disorders in autism families, we analyzed 167 pedigrees ascertained through an autistic child; 39% had alcoholism in patterns consistent with transmission of a genetic trait. Children from high alcoholism families were more likely to have the onset of their autistic behavior occur with a loss of language (52.5% vs. 35.8%, p = 0.04). This occurred primarily in families where the mother was alcoholic (80% vs. 40%, p = 0.05), suggesting an association between maternal alcoholism and regressive onset autism. Children from high alcoholism families were less likely to be macrocephalic (14.7% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.0006). Children from high alcohol and low alcohol families did not differ in dysmorphology status, IQ, sex ratio or sib recurrence risk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Genetics, University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics, #1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO, 65212

    Judith H. Miles, T. Nicole Takahashi, Andrew Haber & Laura Hadden

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  1. Judith H. Miles
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  2. T. Nicole Takahashi
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  3. Andrew Haber
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  4. Laura Hadden
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Correspondence to Judith H. Miles.

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Miles, J.H., Takahashi, T.N., Haber, A. et al. Autism Families with a High Incidence of Alcoholism. J Autism Dev Disord 33, 403–415 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025010828304

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