AFF2 and autism: In the present study, we asked for the first time whether accumulated common genetic variants in genes of the broader fragile X gene family (FMR1, FXR1, FXR2, FMR2) modulate autistic features in males, independently of the described mutations, that is, the polymorphic repeats in FMR1 and FMR2. For quantification of autistic phenotypes, we used the PAUSS, an autism severity score composed of specific items of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS autism severity score) (Kästner et al, 2015).