Potential Treatment For Autism and Intellectual Disabilities
http://neurosciencenews.com/autism-intellectual-disability-7930/
In the article published in
NeuroScienceNews.com, they talk about a potential treatment for children with
autism on the spectrum and other intellectual diseases. It is known that autism
affects the ARID1B gene. Even though it is known where the mutation occurs it
was not known what exactly in that gene mutation caused the social and
cognitive problems for these patients. In a research conducted by Woo-Yang Kim,
Ph.D led a team of researchers to explore how GABA and autism are related, and
if GABA based medications would help these patients on the spectrum. I work
with children with Autism on a state waiver, and I must say, it is the most
rewarding job I have ever had. It truly makes you appreciate life and good
health. These children are so misunderstood simply because they can’t express
themselves like everyone else can. Autism and spectrum illnesses are very
debilitating because these children know exactly what they want, but they just
can’t express themselves in the right manner.
According to the research done, none
of the medications currently offered to Autism patients treat the Autism
itself, but just treat the symptoms; the abnormal behaviors. The team then had
a mice mutated to imitate Autism and it was found that GABA neurons do not fire
properly in these brains. GABA is the “downer” or inhibitory neurotransmitter
in the brain. Glutamate is the “upper” neurotransmitter in the brain, and when
the communication between the two transmitters is not equal then there is
predominantly an “up” shift and no coming down, which then leads to the many
imbalances that patients with this disease face. In the mice that Kim and his
team were investigating had a reverse of the mutation on ARID1B gene. The
future of this research is to pinpoint exactly what GABA receptors are involved
and tackle those specific receptors themselves.
I
learned about Autism in my abnormal psychology class, and we watched many
videos to tell the difference between children who do have autism and children
who don’t and the differences were astonishing. I never realized that little
things like picking things up, being distracted or being repetitive in kids was
so important, but I learned that those are key factors in early detection. As I
mentioned earlier, I work with children on the spectrum and one of my clients
is nonverbal and his focus on his treatment plan is to be more verbal and work
on academics. On the other note, my other client, her treatment goal has
predominantly to do with her eating, and social skills. Every child on the spectrum
is different, and unique. There may come a point where the researchers might
find that in each individual patient the GABA receptors that are mutated are
different.
References:
University of Nebraska Medical Center (2017, November 13). Potential Treatment For Autism and Intellectual Disability. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved November 13, 2017 from http://neurosciencenews.com/autism-intellectual-disability-7930/
I'm interested in the future use of this research. I believe that it can lead to an increase in treatment options for those with a specific form of autism. That's the issue that I find to be the most difficult aspect of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). These disorders are so different in each person and there is unlikely to be any form of universal biological treatment, unless massive advances in these studies are made. There is the belief that ASD is not just one disorder, but a collection of disorders that vary widely from person to person. All of which make studying ASD even more difficult, I think.
ReplyDeleteAs Alice mentioned, the behaviors and symptoms linked with autism can vary between individuals. Studies have found that autism patients do share some similarities as far as brain structure goes. I believe I learned in my Abnormal Psych class that brain scans have shown those diagnosed with autism actually have a larger amygdala than those without autism. This results in increased anxiety levels that may excite certain stereotypical patterns of behavior. The article mentions that those with lower levels of GABA have more anxiety than those with average levels. I wonder if there is a link between a larger amygdala and lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA during the developmental stage of autistic patients. This may or may not help to explain the structural differences we are able to observe.
ReplyDeleteMorgan – it is interesting that you mention how it was observed that individuals with autism have larger amygdalas and GABAergic dysfunction, causing increased anxiety levels. I wonder if this GABA dysfunction also causes sensory hypersensitivity in individuals with autism, since GABA is responsible for controlling neuronal excitability in the nervous system. It is so important for us to be able to filter out information, and it makes sense that without this mechanism, we would be extremely overwhelmed. Therefore, it would be fascinating to see in the future how GABA-based medications could also reduce hypersensitivity in individuals on the spectrum.
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