Genes that are mutated in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can be classified broadly as either synaptic or developmental. But what if this is a false distinction? A recent spate of publications has provided evidence for developmental mechanisms that rely on neural activity for proper cortical development. Conversely, a growing body of evidence indicates a role for developmental mechanisms, particularly chromatin remodeling, during learning or in response to neural activity. Here, we review these recent publications and propose a model in which genes that confer ASD risk operate in signal transduction networks critical for both cortical development and synaptic homeostasis.

中文翻译：

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解决自闭症风险基因的突触与发育二分法

在自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 中发生突变的基因可以大致分为突触或发育。但如果这是一个错误的区分呢？最近的大量出版物为依赖神经活动进行适当皮质发育的发育机制提供了证据。相反，越来越多的证据表明发育机制，特别是染色质重塑，在学习过程中或对神经活动的反应中发挥作用。在这里，我们回顾了这些最近的出版物并提出了一个模型，其中赋予 ASD 风险的基因在对皮质发育和突触稳态至关重要的信号转导网络中运行。