原作者：
来源Which Weighs More in Autism Etiology: Genes or Environment? （基因还是环境，自闭症病因探究）
译者Daisyyu
Which Weighs More in Autism Etiology: Genes or Environment?
哪个更是自闭症的病因：基因还是环境？
If half of autism cases can truly be ascribed to factors in the environment, then a greater effort should be made to identify the environmental culprit or culprits.
如果半数的自闭症病例真的可以归因于环境的因素，那么要更大的努力去证实环境罪魁祸首或者罪犯。
Autism is mostly due to genes, right? Wrong. It can be blamed about half on genes and half on the environment, says a new study published online July 4 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
自闭症主要因为基因，对吗？错了。一半归因于基因，一半环境，6月四号在线发表在普通精神病学档案中的一项新的研究里说。
The study's lead investigator was Joachim Hallmayer, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University.
这项研究的领头调查者是Joachim Hallmayer，总理事，斯坦福大学精神病学的副教授。
One strength of the new study, the researchers explained, is that it was a large population study conducted in California with diverse ethnic minority participation and with the participation of people of various socioeconomic statuses. Previous autism gene studies focused exclusively on people from a European background, they noted. Another strength of the study is that structured clinical interviews were used to diagnose autism, which was not the case with many previous studies.
新研究的一个优势，研究者解释道，是在加利福尼亚实施的庞大人口的调查，不同少数民族参加，不同社会经济地位的人参与。以前的自闭症基因研究仅仅重点集中在欧洲背景的人，他们注意到。研究的另一个优势是，有组织的临床采访曾经用于诊断自闭症，这是以前的许多研究没有的。
The implications of their findings, the investigators pointed out, are that more attention should be paid to possible environmental contributions to autism such as those that occur prenatally or during the first year of life, since signs of autism usually emerge by the end of the first year (see Pediatricians Taught to Screen for Autism Disorders). Possible risk factors could be, for example, paternal age, low birth weight, viral infections during pregnancy, or perhaps even use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy, although the results here need to be replicated and extended (Psychiatric News, August 5).
他们的发现的涵义，研究者指出，更多的注意应该投入到影响自闭症的可能的环境，比如那些产前发生的或者出生第一年，因为自闭症通常在第一年末出现（看儿科医生教筛选自闭症障碍）。可能的风险因素可能是，比如，父亲的年龄，低出生体重，怀孕期间病毒感染，或者甚至是怀孕期间SSRI抗抑郁药的使用，虽然所有这些结果需要复制和扩展。（精神病学新闻，8月5日）。
The study included 192 twin pairs with at least one twin diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder who were born between 1987 and 2004. The twins were identified through the California Department of Developmental Services. The investigators then determined the differences in autism concordance rates between the identical and fraternal twins to estimate the contribution to autism of genes and of a shared environment.
研究包括192对双胞胎，至少其中一个被诊断为泛自闭症障碍，他们在1987至2004年间出生。双胞胎通过加利福尼亚发展服务部门确认。研究者决定同卵和异卵双胞胎自闭症一致几率的区别，估计自闭症的病因是基因还是共享的环境。
They found that the genetic contribution was 38 percent and that the shared environmental contribution was 58 percent. Also, when they focused only on cases of autism, not on autism plus Asperger's syndrome, the genetic and environmental contributions turned out to be similar—37 percent versus 55 percent.
他们发现遗传基因是38%，共享的环境是58%。他们也仅限于自闭症病例，而不是自闭症加上亚斯伯格症，基因和环境的影响也是一样——37%对55%。
Thus, while genes play an important role in autism spectrum disorder, it looks as if they are less important than previous studies have suggested.
因此，虽然基因在泛自闭症障碍中起了重要作用，但是似乎比以前研究表明的重要性要小。
The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and by Autism Speaks
研究由国家心理卫生研究和自闭症之声所提供基金。
相关文章：
