Figure 1.
Developmental and genetic variables and their interaction influence the emergence of obsessive–compulsive behaviors in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Both genes and events affecting the course of brain development can influence the emergence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and Obsessive–compulsive behaviors (OCB). Some genes may also influence an individual’s exposure to risk (and protective) environments. There is also a growing body of evidence on the importance of gene–environment interactions (G×E) in relation to ASD and obsessive–compulsive disorder such that even adverse experiences might have a negligible effect in the absence of relevant susceptibility genes and yet have a very large effect in the presence of such genes.
