Genetic networks suggest Asperger’s syndrome as a distinct subtype of autism spectrum disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) issued new diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which resulted in missing the diagnosis of some cases of Asperger’s syndrome (AS). This negatively affected the support received by those affected. In this study, we explored if AS could be biologically stratified from the broader spectrum through a gene co-expression network preservation analysis. We analysed the GEO microarray data of 24 individuals with Asperger’s syndrome and 72 individuals with autism. Then, we used a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) pipeline to construct gene co-expression networks. We explored whether these modules share the same co-expression patterns between autism and Asperger’s syndrome using network preservation analysis. Our results showed that all co-expression modules of autism are preserved into the Asperger’s syndrome. However, three modules of Asperger’s syndrome out of 30 modules were not preserved in autism. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that these modules were involved in chromatin remodelling, immune and neuroinflammatory response, synaptic and neuronal development. Brain enrichment analysis showed significant downregulation of neurodevelopment genes in different brain regions associated with impaired social recognition in Asperger’s syndrome. The identified genetic and molecular profiles suggest that Asperger’s syndrome, despite sharing numerous similarities with autism, possesses a distinct genetic profile that makes it a distinct subtype of autism. This distinction could have significant implications for the management and treatment strategies tailored to individuals with Asperger’s syndrome. • Our finding reported an overlap between Asperger syndrome and autism. • These results also highlighted distinguishable gene networks in Asperger syndrome. • This supports the view of Asperger syndrome as a subtype of ASD. • Our results could lead to changes in care for individuals with Asperger’s syndrome.