Autism Research Database - Principal Investigator Project Details | IACC

Project Element	Element Description
Project Title Project Title	Recruiting families for the Autism Sisters Project and expanding understanding of the female protective effect
Principal Investigator Principal Investigator	Siper, Paige
Description Description	For years, scientists have reported higher autism prevalence in males, but the reason for this gender discrepancy isn’t fully understood. One potential explanation is the presence of a protective factor in females that may be genetic, epigenetic, environmental, or a combination of multiple factors. Research has shown that some females carry genetic deletions or duplications that are known causes of autism, yet these girls do not exhibit clinical symptoms of autism. Other studies have pointed to the presence of a higher genetic “load” for females to reach the autism threshold, compared to males. As a group, girls with autism tend to exhibit more severe symptoms and tend to be diagnosed later. These initial findings warrant a focused study of unaffected sisters of individuals with autism to try to identify this potential protective effect.
Funder Funder	Autism Science Foundation
Funding Country Funding Country	United States
Fiscal Year Funding Fiscal Year Funding	92742
Current Award Period Current Award Period	2016-2017
Strategic Plan Question Strategic Plan Question	Question 3: What Causes ASD, and Can Disabling Aspects of ASD be Prevented or Preempted?
Funder’s Project Link Funder’s Project Link	External Project Page
Institution Institution	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Institute Location Institute Location	United States
Project Number Project Number
Government or Private Government or Private	Private
History/Related Projects History/Related Projects	Recruiting families for the Autism Sisters Project and expanding understanding of the female protective effect \| 0 \| 2017 \|

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