Biological Research In ASD

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http://neurosciencenews.com/autism-brain-wiring-5526/

Autism Spectrum Disorder has recently gained increasing attention which has positivly impacted those who's daily lives are affected by this disorder. While much is still unknown about this particular disorder, many new theories and research have been developing as a consequence of the increased awareness.

The mTOR pathway regulates development in the brain. A new research conducted by the Florida campus of The Scripts Research Institute has focused on PTEN, one of the genes which control the mTOR pathway, as a possible cause of macrocephaly/autism syndrome. The research revealed that mutations of the PTEN gene can affect the communication between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. This disrupts the communication between social behaviors and emotion processing. The number of synapses between these areas are actually increased, which results in abnormal activity in these areas.


                The research would be based on rodents, particularly mice and rats, due to this function of the brain being a similarity between humans and rodents. This research could be used to help prevent the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder by interfering with the formation of these excessive synapses early on. Some researchers suggest that this type of intervention could even be used in adulthood to reverse symptoms as well. It would be more advantageous, however, to treat the symptoms of Autism before maturity is reached. This way the brain will be able to redirect its development more regularly. 

Comments

  1. Sara WallaceNovember 21, 2016 at 3:59 PM

    After graduation this December I will be working as an ABA Behavior Interventionist for children with Autism so I am very interested in research on Autism. I found your summary to be intriguing. I have never heard about the possibility that (one day) research could prevent the symptoms of Autism or even reverse its symptoms. I am aware that the fusiform gyrus, an area in the brain responsible for facial recognition, is not activated in people with Autism and this is the reason that they are unable to pick up facial cues. It would be interesting to learn if the reason the fusiform gyrus is not activated is because of a mutation in the PTEN gene. I was also curious about how researchers would be able to prevent the symptoms of Autism. If Autism is something one is born with, which this research suggests by saying it could be linked to a mutation in a gene which would happen in utero, would we test every child for that mutation at birth? I would also be interested in learning about what struggles researchers would predict there to be if they could reverse the symptoms of Autism. I would predict that depending on the age of the patient, a lot of their learning has already happened and due to critical periods, they may not be able to reverse that learning to start anew.

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  2. Amanda FamularoNovember 22, 2016 at 8:03 PM

    I found this article to be particularly interesting due to my fieldwork placement at the Hussman Center for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) this semester. As an occupational therapy major, we are more focused on the behavior of the participants and less on the biological causes behind these symptoms. I found it extremely intriguing to understand what is occurring on a neurological level. A limitation in social interaction skills is one of the most noticeable factors associated with ASD. A typical interventions at the Hussman Center would include role-play, however, according to this article this can be altered through decreasing the amount of synapses between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. As we have learned in class, the prefrontal cortex is associated with executive functioning. This is also an area of limitation for individuals with ASD, as the participants at the Hussman Tigers Delivers program often struggle with planning, problem solving etc. It is extremely interesting to me on the side of occupational therapy to read about and understand other means of intervention that can assist in achieving the ultimate goal of helping individuals with ASD develop the skills to be independent.

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  3. UnknownNovember 28, 2016 at 7:38 PM

    This article interests me because I too am looking into the field of occupational therapy and would love to be able to help those with disorders such as Autism. Learning that there may be a possible preventative method is exciting to me. I have never heard of the PTEN gene before reading this, but it does offer explanation and hope for the future!

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