U.S. researchers create autistic neuron model

[Guest guest]

U.S. researchers create autistic neuron model

2010-11-12 06:33:43

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. researchers have created functional

neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development

of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it was announced on Thursday.

The neurons could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and

personalized treatment, the University of California, San Diego School of

Medicine said in a press release.

The researchers created the neurons by using induced pluripotent stem cells from

patients with Rett syndrome, according to the release.

Rett (RTT) syndrome is a neurological disorder in which affected newborns

display normal development until six months to one-and-a half years of age after

which behavioral symptoms begin to emerge, leading to hypotonia or low muscle

tone, seizures, diminished social skills and other autistic behaviors.

" This work is important because it puts us in a translational mode, " said

Alysson R. Muotri, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, who led the study.

" It helps expand and deepen our understanding of autism, from behavioral

disorder to developmental brain disorder. We can now look for and test drugs and

therapies and see what happens at a cellular and molecular level. That's

something we've never been able to do with human autistic neurons before. "

The study findings show that synaptic deficiencies in Rett syndrome, and likely

other autism spectrum disorders, may not be permanent, Muotri said.

Muotri said the creation of a human RTT cell culture provides a new and

unexplored developmental window before disease onset and possibly a common model

for future studies of ASDs.