Dr. Pat Levitt and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, studied 743 families in which 1,200 family members were affected by autism spectrum disorders, which range from fully disabling autism to Asperger's syndrome.
They found a single mutation in a gene called MET, which is known to be involved in brain development, regulation of the immune system and repair of the gastrointestinal system.
"This is a vulnerability gene," Levitt said. "There are not genes that actually cause autism. It raises the risk." People with two copies of the mutated gene have 2 to 2.5 times the normal risk of autism and people with one mutated copy have 1.7 times the risk, he said.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a way to start looking for the actual causes of autism, Levitt said.
Levitt said the mutation does not change the function of the gene, but changes gene expression -- how active the gene is. "Let's say it is exposure to some chemical. It is a long list of everything from food additives to mercury to fertilizers. This will help."
Courtesy of Reuters
Bonnie - this is a very important discovery. The most important thing the researchers said is that the gene needs to be expressed to promote autistic symptoms. How long have we said that poor diet, lifestyle, and environment contributes to genes expressing themselves negatively. It is not a coincidence that the lead researcher mentioned food additives and mercury as two of the examples. When you are thinking about having children, the process of taking care of yourself starts even before conception, during pregnancy, and though lactation (if applicable). Then, the process of taking care of your child lasts until they can take care of themselves.
It is possible to keep negative gene expression at bay!
No comments:
Post a Comment