On autism’s cause, researchers just ‘scratching the surface’
Posted by John Malloy on 01/09/2011
The controversy surrounding a retracted study that linked autism to childhood vaccines has been fueled by the fact that no one knows what really causes autism.
“If we knew, it would change this whole debate altogether,” said CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Researchers believe both genetics and environmental factors play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorders. According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers have “identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with ASD have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with ASD have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain.”
The abnormalities suggest that ASDs could be caused by a disruption in brain development during the fetal stage, “possibly due to the influence of environmental factors on gene function.”
But these findings are only preliminary and require further study, the NIH says.
Two studies strongly suggest some people have a genetic predisposition to autism, the NIH says. “Identical twin studies show that if one twin is affected, there is a 90 percent chance the other twin will be affected.”
Dr. Eric Hollander, who was director of the Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence in 2008, told CNN.com at the time that “of all neuropsychiatric disorders, there’s a stronger genetic predisposition for autism. It’s also clear that early environmental experiences can play an important role in modifying how these genes develop.”
But which environmental experiences and why? Theories abound, but no answers. Lee Grossman, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America, said, “What is the involvement of the environment, working with these genetic predispositions for a person to get autism? We’re just starting to scratch the surface on this right now.”
via On autism’s cause, researchers just ‘scratching the surface’ – CNN.com.
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