If you are the parent of a child with autism, you are likely on a quest for answers. It's been the source of frustration for parents, doctors and researchers who all want to unlock the mystery surrounding autism so we can prevent children from developing it and help those already affected by it.
Now, there is a promising new research that could help shed light on that very question. Researchers say it could help pinpoint the origins of autism. The study, led by researchers at UCLA, was published in the May 25th advance online edition of "Nature."
The study finds autism appears to change the molecular structure of the brain. Click here to read more about the research.
Scientists at UCLA studied brain tissue samples obtained after death from 19 autism patients and 17 healthy volunteers.
They found differences in how genes in autistic and healthy brains encode information. The research also found most of the autistic brain samples shared common genetic patterns.
"If you randomly pick 20 people with autism, the cause of each person's disease will be unique," said head researcher Dr. Daniel Geschwind. "Yet when we examined how genes and proteins interact in autistic people's brains, we saw well-defined shared patterns. This common thread could hold the key to pinpointing the disorder's origins."
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition. This new research suggests most people with autism may share the same underlying defect in brain development.
"Is there some convergence, some commonality among the various forms of autism? That is the question we asked, and we showed that there is," Dr. Geschwind told WebMD.
Read more in this Web MD article.
"We were surprised to see similar gene expression patterns in most of the autistic brains we studied," said first author Irina Voinea. "From a molecular perspective, half of these brains shared a common genetic signature. Given autism's numerous causes, this was an unexpected and exciting finding."
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. They are complex and strike in early childhood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 1 in 110 children in the U.S. have an ASD. It appears to be more prevalent in boys, with one in 70 boys in the U.S. diagnosed with an ASD.
Read more about the 3 types of ASDs as well as signs and symptoms by clicking here.
We do not know all the causes of ASDs. It appears there are likely many causes, including environmental, biologic and genetic factors. There is no cure, but research shows early intervention is key to improving a child's development.
If you are concerned that your child may have an ASD, contact your pediatrician.
Many of you have already been commenting on this story on our CNY Central Facebook page. Here's what some of you are saying:
Tina Davis: "my daughter shows all the classical signs and people stare when she starts to have a fit in the store and some people believe its the mother fault that the child has autism its because they are ignorant and dont know anything about it."
Jenny Cooper: "My son has had autism since he was 2... He is now 6 and I would love to learn more about it! They're saying now my 18 month old might have it!! I love my kids, and have researched on it.. But it would be nice to have more people understand it, instead of starring at me when my son "isn't behaving".. Open your eyes people, sometimes it's not them not listening it's them not understanding!!"
Clearly, more research needs to be done. But scientists are pleased with their findings and hope it will lead to the origin of autism to help prevent more families from being affected by the disorders.
Do you know someone in your life who has an autism spectrum disorder? How has it affected your life? Does this research give you any more hope that we're closer to getting real answers about the origins of autism? Leave your thoughts below.
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