Missing piece surfaces in the puzzle of autism

A new gene that plays a crucial role during early development in humans and whose under-expression may induce certain autistic traits has been uncovered by scientists. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which affect 7.6 million people is a major challenge. Characterized by heterogeneous symptoms and a multifactorial origin, this complex condition evolves during brain development. The scientists thus chose to study adult olfactory stem cells as indicators