Autism, Other Disorders Linked To Post-Natal Factors: Study

December 12, 2008

Washington (AFP) — Autism and obsessive-compulsive disorders may

be linked to factors other than genetics, despite widely held beliefs

otherwise, according to a study published Wednesday in the American

journal Neuron.

When researchers removed the protein FKBP12, found in both

humans and mice, from studied mice, the animals demonstrated major

neurological and behavioral changes.

FKBP12 is known to regulate the activity of mTOR, an enzyme that

affects the ability to change behavior and regulates connections

between neurons, thus playing a key role in learning and memorization.

The findings of the study, led by researchers at New York

University's Center for Neural Science and the Baylor College of

Medicine, may enhance scientific and medical understanding of

disorders such as autism, which affects about one in 150 children in

the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention.

Results showed an increase of mTOR signaling after removing the

protein from the brains of mice late in development. The mice also

demonstrated an enhanced ability to change connections between

neurons, especially in those parts of the brain used for memory.

Removing FKBP12 reduced the mice's capacity to analyze, respond

and adapt to new situations, according to the study.

Once the mice learned a task, such as navigating a maze, they

had difficulty learning how to travel through a different version of

the maze. This type of enhanced perseveration, or pathological

repetition, is often observed in individuals suffering from autism or

other neurological disorders.

" Our results suggest that FKPB12 regulates neuron signaling that

curbs the manifestation of traits observed in several neurological

disorders including autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder and

schizophrenia, " said NYU neuroscientist Klann, the study's lead

researcher.

These disorders are widely believed to be " determined in utero

by genetic hormonal and environmental factors, " he adds.

But " because our study indicates that postnatal release of mTOR

activity can result in certain perseverative behaviors, it challenges

the idea that some aspects of these conditions are developmentally

predetermined. "

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