Do phenotypic and genetic overlap between autistic traits at the extremes of the general population?
This first twin study assessing the links between extreme individual autistic-like traits (SIs, CIs, and RRBIs) found that all are highly heritable but show modest phenotypic and genetic overlap. This finding concurs with that of an earlier study from the same cohort that showed that a total autistic symptoms score at the extreme showed high heritability and that SIs, CIs, and RRBIs show weak links in the general population. This new finding has relevance for both clinical models and future molecular genetic studies.
The results of our study confirm the positive effect of SIP on the dental health of 12-year-old pupils living in deprived areas.