Hunting the gene that traps children in their own world

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Hunting the gene that traps children in their own world

Parents and scientists are hoping that a new detailed analysis based on human genome will bring a big breakthrough within a year.

Interesting artical its on autism so I'm moving it to the autism forum.

i think that autism is caused by paedomorphosis**.... so some parts of the brain are not fully developing.... in which case, the genes are still "normal".... this is why i think epigentics is gonna really help to solve what's going on in there.... epigenetics deals with genetic regulation that has nothing at all to do with genetic code (so you wouldn't expect to find mutant genes)... it's the reason we can have such a high percent of matching DNA with chimps and mammals (heck, i'd argue invertebrates) and yet be so different. that with developmental research....

to add another layer... if there really is a new type of brain developing through non-mutant methods (due to paedomorphosis).... what happens to IT... when genes, ect DO go wrong? i think this might account for some of the more severe causes of autism (and thus mutations do show up in studies cause these are the patients they study most.... the worst case senario, so to speak)

i think there are confounding variables that we do not know of yet and you're actually looking at a lot of mixed results when you find one study saying this gene is involved... or that they can't find any involved....

and as people have mentioned here... there are kind of flavors to AS/autism.... people are individuals and there are many points at which things go wrong, resulting in similar, but different problems. it's like cancer, for example.... there is no "cancer" gene.... there are numerous genes where if a mutation occurs, it can lead to cancer developing... and not all cancers are the same and they cannot all be treated similarly, even if you are looking at just one tissue-type of cancer (eg-breast cancer).

** look up the axoltol salamander for a cool example of paedomorphosis (neotany, specifically). basically, this genus of salamander never grows up. go google the life cycle of salamanders and you see they have a "tadpole" juvenile form.... well, the axoltol stays in this juvenile form its entire life and reproduces and does all sorts of adult things without ever metamorphosing like all its brethren. interestingly, science has found a way to make these salamanders grow up. i forget the paper, but these salamanders have been treated with hormones (or somethin like that) and metamorphosis was induced--thus restoring the "natural" salamander lifecycle. they even found what species it grows up into (i forget, but it's some other local species)

this gives me great hope, cause if this is the case of what's going on developmentally in the autistic brain... then it seems reasonable that we can pinpoint the relevent time in development where growth is being ret*d (i dont mean the whole brain.... it could be one lil neuron for all i know!) and apply treatment... thus improving at least some baseline of cognitive function.... gene therapy, if you will.

and yeah, some people don't like "curing" autism..... but some people do want a cure. im pro-abortion, for the same reasoning... not so that i can say it's ok or not... but because i don't know what i would do in that situation and i think that people should be allowed to make that choice for themselves.

The phrase 'trapped in their own world' summarizes my childhood as well. But maybe it is also the most secured way to grow up ...