We discovered how autism develops at a very early stage, which could give rise to new treatments.
Neurons in people with autism show different growth patterns and develop at a faster rate, according to a new study.
To reach these conclusions, researchers from the Salk Institute compared the creation of stem cells in autistic people with those of control individuals. They took skin cells from eight autistic people and five healthy people, then transformed them into pluripotent stem cells (cells that have the ability to develop into any type of cell in the body, Ed).
We still do not know what causes the disease
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a fairly common disorder. Yet, it is still unclear what causes the disease and what are the best ways to treat it.
“Although our work has only focused on cultured cells, it could help us understand how early changes in gene expression alter brain development in people with autistic disorder,” says the professor. Salk Rusty Gage, Study Director and President of the Salk Institute. “We hope this work will open new avenues for studying neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders,” he adds.
More complex branches
For example, Salk’s team observed that the genetic program associated with the neural stem cell stage activated earlier in the cells of people with autism. Moreover, the neurons that developed in people with this disorder grew faster and had more complex branches than those in the control group.
“Abnormalities of early brain development are currently assumed to lead to autism, but the transition from a normally developing brain to an autistic brain remains unclear,” the essay states. “One of the main challenges in this field has been to determine the critical periods of development and the associated cellular states. This research could provide the basis for discovering the common pathological traits that emerge during the development of autistic disorders”, can -we still read.
Sharp rise in autism cases
In France, one in 100 births is affected by autism spectrum disorders. 650,000 people currently suffer from it. ASD affects 3 boys for every 1 girl. The American authorities have just reported a sharp increase in cases of autism in the United States. The current prevalence of the disease there is 1.68% among 8-year-old children, which is 14% higher than the rate reported in 2012 and 2010.
According to WHO international classification of diseases (ICD 10), autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects brain function. It is no longer considered a psychological condition or a psychiatric illness.
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