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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : October 8, 2014 10:26 AM IST
A new study has revealed that autistic children and adolescents have extra synapses in the brain. The researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) found that people with autism have a surplus of synapses in the brain, and this excess was due to a slowdown in a normal brain 'pruning' process during development. Because synapses are the points where neurons connect and communicate with each other, the excessive synapses may have profound effects on how the brain functions.
Although, the drug, rapamycin, has side effects that might preclude its use in people with autism. It was established that a drug that restored normal synaptic pruning could improve autistic-like behaviors in mice even when the drug was given after the behaviors have appeared. Using mouse models of autism, the researchers traced the pruning defect to a protein called mTOR. When mTOR was overactive, they found, brain cells lose much of their 'self-eating' ability. And without this ability, the brains of the mice were pruned poorly and contained excess synapses. (Read: Teach empathy to your child with autism start with saying sorry)
The researchers could restore normal autophagy and synaptic pruning and reverse autistic-like behaviors in the mice, by administering rapamycin, a drug that inhibits mTOR. The drug was effective even when administered to the mice after they developed the behaviors, suggesting that such an approach might be used to treat patients even after the disorder has been diagnosed. Alan Packer, PhD, said that the current view was that autism was heterogeneous, with potentially hundreds of genes that could contribute but that's a very wide spectrum, so the goal now would be now to understand how those hundreds of genes cluster together into a smaller number of pathways; that would give them better clues to potential treatments. (Read: Simple way to help detect autism earlier a five minute questionnaire)
The study is published in the journal Neuron.
Here are ten things your student with autism wishes you knew:
1. Behaviour is communication. All behaviour occurs for a reason. It tells you, even when my words can't, how I perceive what is happening around me. Negative behaviour interferes with my learning process. But merely interrupting these behaviours is not enough; teach me to exchange these behaviourswith proper alternatives so that real learning can flow.
Start by believing this: I truly do want to learn to interact appropriately. No child wants the negative feedback we get from 'bad' behaviour. Negative behaviour usually means I am overwhelmed by disordered sensory systems, cannot communicate my wants or needs or don't understand what is expected of me. Look beyond the behaviour to find the source of my resistance. Keep notes as to what happened immediately before the behaviour: people involved, time of day, activities, settings. Over time, a pattern may emerge.
2. Never assume anything. Without factual backup, an assumption is only a guess. I may not know or understand the rules. I may have heard the instructions but not understood them. Maybe I knew it yesterday but can't retrieve it today. Ask yourself:
Are you sure I really know how to do what is being asked of me? If I suddenly need to run to the bathroom every time I'm asked to do a math sheet, maybe I don't know how or fear my effort will not be good enough. Stick with me through enough repetitions of the task to where I feel competent. I may need more practice to master tasks than other kids. Read more about Ten things your student with autism wishes you knew
With inputs from ANI
Photo source: Getty images
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