Can the "female protective effect" liability threshold model explain sex differences in autism spectrum disorder?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Dougherty JD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9588569 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Can the "female protective effect" liability threshold model explain sex differences in autism spectrum disorder?
Dougherty Joseph D JD Marrus Natasha N Maloney Susan E SE Yip Benjamin B Sandin Sven S Turner Tychele N TN Selmanovic Din D Kroll Kristen L KL Gutmann David H DH Constantino John N JN Weiss Lauren A LA
Neuron 20220721 20
Male sex is a strong risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The leading theory for a "female protective effect" (FPE) envisions males and females have "differing thresholds" under a "liability threshold model" (DT-LTM). Specifically, this model posits that females require either a greater number or larger magnitude of risk factors (i.e., greater liability) to manifest ASD, which is supported by the finding that a greater proportion of females with ASD have highly penetrant genetic mutat ...[more]
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