A latest study says that autism is less common is girls because their brains are more resilient.
Researchers observed the genetic data from over 15,000 people diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders, and about 800 families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.
According to the researchers, females do not easily develop autism when only mild genetic abnormalities exist. But upon the diagnosed with the disorder, the researchers found that they were more likely to have more extreme genetic mutations than boys with similar symptoms.
"Girls tolerate neurodevelopmental mutations more than boys do. This is really what the study shows," said study author Sebastien Jacquemont, an assistant professor of genetic medicine at the University Hospital of Lausanne, in Switzerland, reports HealthDay. "To push a girl over the threshold for autism or any of these neurodevelopmental disorders, it takes more of these mutations," Jacquemont added. "It's about resilience to genetic insult."
According to the researchers, nearly 500 genes are associated with autism and therefore have different treatment approaches.
"This is the first study that convincingly demonstrates a difference at the molecular level between boys and girls referred to the clinic for a developmental disability," Jacquemont said in a press release. "The study suggests that there is a different level of robustness in brain development, and females seem to have a clear advantage."
According to the researchers, if girls develop autism it is worse than ASD boys develop.
"In the male, maybe more subtle things are enough to create a disorder," Geneticist Jean-Louis Mandel fo College de France in Paris and the Academic Hospital in Strasbourg, France told Utah People's Post
The study was published in the 'American Journal of Human Genetics.'
