Multiple Genetic 'Flavors' May Explain Autism

Multiple Genetic 'Flavors' May Explain Autism

While debate still rages over the 'cause' of autism, mounting evidence suggests that genetic factors play a major role in the disease. Two recent studies led by James Sutcliffe, Ph.D., and Randy Blakely, Ph.D., investigators with the Vanderbilt Center for Molecular Neuroscience and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, suggest that multiple rare mutations within a single gene may increase risk for autism. Their findings also may point to new therapeutic options for this devastating disorder.

In this pair of studies, the researchers identify and characterize a number of mutations in the gene that regulate brain levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in many biological processes including breathing, digestion, sleep, appetite, blood vessel constriction, mood and impulsivity.

About 25 percent of people with autism have elevated levels of serotonin in their blood. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), drugs used to treat depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, also improve some of the symptoms of the disorder. These findings have led scientists to propose that serotonin plays an important role in autism.

In the August issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, Sutcliffe, Blakely and colleagues report that several mutations within the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene, which regulates serotonin levels in the brain, may be risk factors for autism.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050726080219.htm

An article on this was posted the other day in LBN, and quickly moved to Science, despite its meeting all LBN criteria. Here's the current URL:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x9279

Any new findings is welcome news in this field of research.