Can New Genetic Findings Help Families Choose Therapies for Autism?
By LisaAKAmom
07-17-08
Can New Genetic Findings Help Families Choose Therapies for Autism?
Saturday July 12, 2008
Yesterday, a group of Harvard researchers reported the discovery of six genes which appear to be associated with autism. In many cases, it seems, these genes are present - but inactive. And in some cases, it may be possible to actually activate those genes - thus (in theory) improving brain function.
According to a story in the Boston Globe,
...Walsh [a member of the research team] said the Science paper combines work done in his lab on genetic mutations that cause autism with research by his Children's colleague Michael Greenberg on brain cell activity changing gene activation. The two scientists both presented their work at a meeting in January.
"I showed my list of autism genes and he showed his list of plasticity of genes," Walsh said. "We found a lot of genes on both lists and that occurred much more frequently than expected by chance."
That led to their hypothesis that in autism, brain cells are unable to turn genes on to make new brain connections.
...Symptoms of autism arise between age 1 and 2, when the child's developing brain is refining connections between its nerve cells triggered by experiences, Walsh said. Genes that are not functioning normally do not allow this process to take place.
The research may also explain why some autistic children improve after repetitive interventions that perhaps jump-start previously turned-off genes.
"Sometimes the genes aren't completely inactive. We know that intensive training or enriching of the environment in animal models has ways of turning genes on that would normally be silent, [bold is mine]" Walsh said.
Walsh's last statement is intriguing. To my mind, it seems to suggest that many of the treatments already being used successfully for autism may actually be doing just what he's suggesting: "turning genes on." In fact, any of the behavioral or developmental interventions that involve intensive 1:1 interaction should be effective at some level.
Just playing devil's advocate, though - it seems to me that while ABA, Floortime, RDI, and related therapies are in fact intensive, and ABA is particularly repetitive, two far less popular therapies are MORE intensive and repetitive. These are SonRise and the Rapid Prompting Method. Perhaps, based on this research, these two approaches deserve more focused research!
Saturday July 12, 2008
Yesterday, a group of Harvard researchers reported the discovery of six genes which appear to be associated with autism. In many cases, it seems, these genes are present - but inactive. And in some cases, it may be possible to actually activate those genes - thus (in theory) improving brain function.
According to a story in the Boston Globe,
...Walsh [a member of the research team] said the Science paper combines work done in his lab on genetic mutations that cause autism with research by his Children's colleague Michael Greenberg on brain cell activity changing gene activation. The two scientists both presented their work at a meeting in January.
"I showed my list of autism genes and he showed his list of plasticity of genes," Walsh said. "We found a lot of genes on both lists and that occurred much more frequently than expected by chance."
That led to their hypothesis that in autism, brain cells are unable to turn genes on to make new brain connections.
...Symptoms of autism arise between age 1 and 2, when the child's developing brain is refining connections between its nerve cells triggered by experiences, Walsh said. Genes that are not functioning normally do not allow this process to take place.
The research may also explain why some autistic children improve after repetitive interventions that perhaps jump-start previously turned-off genes.
"Sometimes the genes aren't completely inactive. We know that intensive training or enriching of the environment in animal models has ways of turning genes on that would normally be silent, [bold is mine]" Walsh said.
Walsh's last statement is intriguing. To my mind, it seems to suggest that many of the treatments already being used successfully for autism may actually be doing just what he's suggesting: "turning genes on." In fact, any of the behavioral or developmental interventions that involve intensive 1:1 interaction should be effective at some level.
Just playing devil's advocate, though - it seems to me that while ABA, Floortime, RDI, and related therapies are in fact intensive, and ABA is particularly repetitive, two far less popular therapies are MORE intensive and repetitive. These are SonRise and the Rapid Prompting Method. Perhaps, based on this research, these two approaches deserve more focused research!
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