A Common Genetic Variant in the Neurexin Superfamily Member CNTNAP2 Is Associated with Increased Risk for Selective Mutism and Social Anxiety-Related Traits

Although association was found with rs2710102, the risk allele (a) for the traits studied here is the nonrisk allele for ASD and specific language impairment. These findings suggest a partially shared etiology between ASDs and SM and raise questions about which aspects of these syndromes are potentially influenced by CNTNAP2 and mechanism(s) by which these influences may be conveyed.