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Autism Reversed in Mice at MIT Lab
ClayTapes writes "It seems that scientists at MIT have been able to reverse the effects of autism and some forms of mental retardation in mice caused by fragile X chromosomes. They do so by targeting an enzyme that changes the structure of connections between brain cells. The treatment actually repairs these structural abnormalities which suggests that it may be possible to reverse the effects in children who already show symptoms."
They are not sure what causes most forms of autism. The fragile X disease is something in it's own category.
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Although.... I've read that a disappointing percentage of drugs that work really well in mice don't in men.
There have been reports that Daniel Benoit, the 7-year-old boy murdered by his pro-wrestler father Chris Benoit over the weekend, suffered from fragile X syndrome.
While it would be irresponsible to speculate whether the boy's (unconfirmed) condition had any relation to the horrible acts... I'll do it anyway, because I'll be damned if the media's speculation that Chris had "roid rage" was any less irresponsible or harmful.
If Chris Benoit took his son's life because he felt it was more merciful than allowing to live with this condition, it is an awful, awful irony that news of hope of a cure has come so immediately after the tragedy.
Also, gender chromosome related conditions are almost exclusive to men, whether the defect is on the X or the Y chromosome (the reason being that women have two X chromosomes, and a healthy one will usually mask the damaged one). So this might have some impact on treatment of certain types of male autism. Yes, that may be a narrow scope, but it's better than no scope at all.
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*Art
The autism they are dealing with is from hanging 'x' syndrome all you need to do is find a female who is trait positive (has on malformed x) and breed her. 50% of her male offspring will have the condition. You can, through trial and error, get a female with the condition by then using that male and a trait positive female (but not the mother thats icky). All of *that* females male offspring will have the condition. This is not an autism cure it is a cure for a 'type' of autism.
Here's some information for those of you interested. I'm not an authority on this, except that I once did a 6 minute presentation for one of my biology classes.
Some researchers believe that autism causes it's havoc by interfering with the brains ability to prune existing connections between neurons. This is also pointed at as the reason that many autistic children appear normal for the first X months of development...they have to build up enough neurons linked to everything else before they lose the ability to function.
For the same reason, many believe that treatments that restore the brains ability to prune those connections could restore normal function to people with autism, even if they are already adults.
Joyous times, indeed.
You are awash in a sea of fiercely stated opinions. Obvious exits are: 'File->Quit', 'Reply', and 'Page Down'.
One thing to note is that this isn't a drug; it's a dominant negative transgene, so you're not going to popping pills for this any time soon.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
You could do that, but they were actually using an engineered mouse strain with the FMR1 gene knocked out.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
Maybe we should have a 'Diabetes Acceptance' movement where we let people with diabetes go into shock as nature intended them too.
It's a shame there is still a stigma attached to helping people with mental problems....
BTW I have a son diagnosed with autism and it is heart breaking seeing him struggle with things that are so easy for others.
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I'm just curious, but to what are you referring to as "advantages?" Autism runs in my family and I'm hard pressed to see how it has given them any advantages in life. I have 7 cousins and one uncle with varying degrees of autism. My uncle is an autistic savant[1] with an incredible command of military history and equipment, but the mental maturity of a 6 year old. He has an incredible capability, but his disability leaves him unable to put it to any practical use. As for my cousins, their level of disability runs the gamut, from one who can speak only in single-word bursts to a slightly awkward sufferer of Aspberger's[2] syndrome.
I understand the common conception that people suffering from Autism are just "differently abled." But really, most of them are not. Some, like my cousin with Aspberger's, can function in society, but will always feel alienated. This is not because people just aren't willing to accept them (as with the X-Men) but because they literally are unable to react "normally" to human emotion. This is usually the best quality of life you can people suffering from Autism can hope for. The majority of the sufferers are unable to live independent of live-in care and will never be able to contribute to society.
If I were in the position of choosing whether or not to cure my child of *any* degree of autism, it'd be a no-brainer for me. Bring on the drugs!
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autistic_savant
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspberger's_Syndrome
Any plan which depends on a fundamental change in human behavior is doomed from the start.
I assume you mean Wapner. Wopnar is the evil robotic syndicated TV judge from the future. He is without mercy, and his appearance in our time is a horrifying warning to us all.
Oppressing an entire population is never cheap.
--Jeckler (/. Beta IS GARBAGE!)
Typically, (from what I've seen) those are people with Asperger's Syndrome. They can still function in society, even if they aren't very social, and the Asperger's gives them a level of focus and concentration on mundane things that the rest of us don't have, which can help in certain careers, like programming..
Of course Autism is a spectral disorder, but people with full-blown autism probably aren't normally capable of even understanding the choice. That said, my little sister with Asperger's would definitely reverse it in a heartbeat if there were a way to do it right now. She has had a tough time finding a niche where she can apply herself for her career, and she has always struggled socially, which has made her feel miserable.
As far as parents making the decision, though... From what I've seen and read, when autism starts to make itself known, the kids withdraw into themselves, as if their personality gets locked away inside their minds, and you're watching it go until it's all but gone. In addressing one of the posts above that speculated that many religious wacko parents wouldn't want to reverse that, I can assure you, any parent would want to unlock their child from whatever dark room they are trapped in. Just to be able to hug your kid and be hugged back, or to have a normal conversation, would be a tremendously wonderful thing after watcing your kid disappear into his own mind.
My son is severely autistic. He's missed out on much (or even most) of the learning that a preschooler does between the ages of 2 and 6, largely because of his missing social and imitation skills. Most experts believe people do most of their learning about the world during those formative years. Even if he could be cured, he could never get that back.
Also, I've read and studied a lot over the years, and I've never heard the above theory that "some experts believe" in which the brain cannot get rid of connections between neurons. This sounds like something that would be easily proved or disproved, at least in animals, and I would guess it's overly simplistic.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Apparently I was quite hyperactive when I was a kid. Then my parents cut out sweets and pop and I became a lot more manageable without any setback to my intellectual or physical development. To this day, most frozen prepared foods or desserts taste too sweet to me. They get prepared with lots of sugars and MSG because they are cheaper than real spices for making something taste less bland. I also can't stand the chemical after-taste from most "sugar-free" drinks and foods; that's probably not a bad thing.
Some people wonder why the western world has an epidemic of diabetic and obese people, but it's not a big mystery to me. Some form of sugar is in most things you buy pre-packaged: frozen dinners, hamburger patties, spaghetti sauce, most other sauces, salad dressings, etc. Go back to basics and cook with spices and simple ingredients. If you only have time to by pre-packaged meals, refuse to buy any with sugars in it (sucrose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.). Wean your kids off sugar and, in the long run, they'll thank you, though your dentist probably won't.
Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
Very well said! I mean, what's a parent (like me) supposed to say? "Gee, its too bad my child is a complete 'tard. Oh well." (shrugs) Of course were going to be outwardly positive about our child's to friends and family and the public. And internally, we are constantly crying because we know our child's outlook is severely limited. Do you have any idea what takes to raise an autistic child? My wife can't work because she has to be there for my son. He needs constant supervision. In my son's case we have to have special locks on the doors so he doesn't leave the house and wander into the streets. He has no real concept of danger. He's 10 years old.