Abstract
Evidence suggests there may be increased risk for suicidal behavior among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An emerging body of research explores social factors that may contribute to increased risk, however little is known about the potential role of biological factors. The current project addresses this knowledge gap through a preliminary study of genes associated with both ASD and suicidal behavior. Gene set enrichment tests of eight genes strongly associated with both ASD and suicidal behavior revealed overrepresentation of nine biological processes, including cognition and synapse function, and 14 cellular components, including the neuron, the synapse, and the synaptic and postsynaptic membrane. These results can be used to inform future investigations of the biological underpinnings of suicidal behavior and ASD.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the National Institute of Mental Health (HC, R01MH099134; ARD, K01MH093731), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ARD, AVB), the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (ARD), the University of Utah EDGE Scholar Program (ARD), the Utah Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities (AVB), and the Clark Tanner Foundation (HC). AVK was supported by the University of Utah Program in Personalized Health (PPH) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number KL2TR001065. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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DiBlasi, E., Kirby, A.V., Gaj, E. et al. Brief Report: Genetic Links Between Autism and Suicidal Behavior—A Preliminary Investigation. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 3525–3530 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04419-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04419-1