<p>In a study that spans more than a decade, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have looked at generations of families in a specific population to reveal the role newly inherited DNA variants play on recessive disease traits, and in the process, they have created a population specific database revealing unique DNA information unseen in larger cohorts.</p>
Reference genome comparison finds exome variant discrepancies in 206 genes eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Confirmed by research: Intellectual disability is rarely inherited – Risk for younger siblings is low
Intellectual disability is most often caused by changes to the genome that take place in early foetal development and are not found in the parents’ DNA. This is why the risk of recurrence in the next sibling of the family is very small, as indicated by a study conducted at the University of Helsinki. Furthermore, Finns do not have a higher risk of inherited developmental disorders compared to other Europeans.
The prevalence of intellectual disabilities, which means difficulties with learning and understanding new things, is roughly 1-2% in the population. People with a severe intellectual disability need help from others in daily activities throughout their lives.