Re: AutismLink: A Switch to Turn Off Autism?

September 29, 2008

It seems to me scientists and a lot of money is allocated in

preventing more children to be born without autism. Personally, I

wish that more resources would be allocated in trying to find the

genes that can " turn off " intolerance and lack of compassion or

spent teaching society that the real disability we face is society's

low expectations of our children and society's insistence in

marginalizing and isolating them " for their own good " . I wish more

people in society were taught they are wrong in looking at

individuals in the spectrum as less than whole human beings. I do

believe science makes our lives better everyday but finding a cure

to ignorace and prejudice would improve the quality of life of our

children more so than anything else at this time. Just a thought.

Ida

Brought to you by

AutismLink

> ---------------------------------

> A Switch to Turn Off Autism? Researchers have found a way to

slow overactive brain cells that may be triggering neurological

disorders By nah F. Locke, Scientific American

> http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-switch-to-turn-off-

autism & ec=su_autism

>

> Scientists say they have pinpointed a gene in the brain that can

calm nerve cells that become too jumpy, potentially paving the way

for new therapies to treat autism and other neurological disorders.

>

> " It's exciting because it opens the field up, " says

Greenberg, a neurobiologist at Harvard Medical School. " Nobody has a

gene that controls the process in quite that way before. "

>

> The brain is continually trying to strike a balance between too

much and too little nerve cell activity. Neurologists believe that

when the balance tips, disorders such as autism and schizophrenia

may occur. They are not sure why neurons (nerve cells) go berserk.

But Greenberg says he and his colleagues located a gene in mice and

rats that helps keep neural activity in check—and may one day be

manipulated to prevent or reverse neurological problems.

>

> Researchers report in Nature that they discovered a gene called

Npas4 churns out a protein that keeps neurons from becoming

overexcited when they fire (communicate with one another through

connections known as synapses). When scientists blocked the protein,

the nerve cells fired or sent out more signals than normal; when

they beefed up production, the neurons quieted down.

>

> Turrigiano, a neuroscientist at Brandeis University who

studies how brain cells communicate, says Greenberg's study reveals

a " pretty intriguing potential pathway " for con! trolling neuronal

activity. But she points out that Npas4 may not be the only gene

that does that. Mice without Npas4 can survive, although they are

prone to seizures and have a shorter life span than normal mice.

>

> As scientists learn more about how brain cells stay balanced,

Greenberg says they will be able to identify people who are

genetically at risk for neurological disorders and develop new drugs

to prevent and treat them. He notes that some of the other genes

that Npas4 affects also have been linked to autism. But he cautions

that new therapies from his research are " a long way off. " " There's

a lot that we don't know, " he says. " We're just at the beginning. "

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> Join our listserv! Don't get your news second hand! Get LINKED!

http://lists.autismlink.com/lists

>

September 29, 2008

It’s not just a thought, but a

very good thought. Some people are very good at isolating themselves from the

rest of the world.

From: