There is a genotypic overlap between the spectrum of autism and the spectrum of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders that support the hypothesis that both conditions may emerge from common pathogenic mechanisms. These mechanisms, together with environmental risk factors, would explain some of the neurobiological similarities. It is important to clarify that phenotypically they remain 2conditions differentiated and that the possible appearance of psychotic symptoms in a subgroup of people with autism does not necessarily imply the development of schizophrenia.
