Abnormal sense of touch may play role in autism
In mice, mutations in autism-related genes in skin nerve cells linked to anxiety, poor social skills
![diagrams of mouse paths](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/060916_ls_autism-main_free.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
AROUND AND AROUND Compared with normal mice, mice that carried a mutated form of the autism-related Mecp2 gene in their peripheral nerve cells avoided the center of an enclosure, a sign of anxiety.
L. Orefice et al/Cell 2016