When it comes to neurodevelopmental delays, X marks the weak spot, according to the University of California (UC).
The MIND Institute at UC Davis reveals that the fragile X gene has been associated with delayed development and autism in children.
Meanwhile, in older adults, neurodegenerative diseases are associated with mutations in the gene.
It has also been linked with infertility among female patients, according to researchers from the educational facility.
As such, they are calling for physicians to check for signs of mutation in the gene throughout patients' lives, to ensure they are given the correct health care advice.
Director of the facility's Fragile X Research and Treatment Center Randi Hagerman explains that, without mutations being identified, patients are unlikely to receive targeted intervention to protect against the outcomes.
And, as the range of conditions which may be associated with the gene is comparatively wide, she adds that families may not form the link between diseases which affect different members or generations.
UC Davis asserts that the MIND Institute aims to improve the health care advice given to patients with neurodevelopmental disorders and ultimately to help find new cures for previously untreatable conditions.
