American Asperger's Association
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American Asperger's Association Support Group

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» Chambers of Hope (COH) and American Aspergers Association (AAA)
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jul 27, 2013 1:29 pm by csweepigirl

» Introductions
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Feb 06, 2012 12:39 am by earthenvessel

» June 4th 2011
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Feb 25, 2011 6:22 am by csweepigirl

» Free Home Speech Practice Home offer
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Feb 19, 2011 2:21 pm by csweepigirl

» Support group meeting and hbot volunteers
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Dec 20, 2010 9:35 am by Dr. Ron

» Favor....Locals..read..please...
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 11, 2010 7:46 am by bondgary009

» Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is hosting the first of its best practices webinars
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 27, 2010 4:51 am by csweepigirl

» We need to start this website back up again!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Aug 23, 2010 2:33 am by man of a million names

» Group Home Manager is Yelling I Need Help
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 05, 2010 3:10 am by csweepigirl

» Facebook
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Jul 05, 2010 2:27 am by KelleyNNelson

» Support Group Meetings 2011 *EDITED*
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Jun 23, 2010 3:57 am by KelleyNNelson

» community happenings!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 22, 2010 6:01 am by asg_tlm@hotmail.com

» Asperger's (how it is diagnosed and treated)
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jun 12, 2010 4:27 pm by csweepigirl

» What do you do when people look at you by the pills you take vs. the person you are?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jun 12, 2010 4:01 pm by csweepigirl

» Items under your nose that are gluten free, and cheap too!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Jun 09, 2010 5:59 am by KelleyNNelson

» Adam
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Jun 08, 2010 1:19 am by man of a million names

» Looking for friends
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jun 05, 2010 8:51 pm by channing28105

» Maas-Rowe Carillon Questions
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jun 05, 2010 8:51 pm by channing28105

» Video Emails from Dr. Ron
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue May 11, 2010 1:40 am by Dr. Ron

» Ah, it's good to be back.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat May 01, 2010 5:03 am by man of a million names

» 1st Annual Aspergers Volleyball Tournament
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Apr 19, 2010 2:03 am by Dr. Ron

» free event: Therapeutic Recreation Adapted Sailing and Kayak Clinic
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Apr 01, 2010 3:20 am by csweepigirl

» Help! I Seem to be Getting More Autistic!" ARTICLE
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Mar 29, 2010 10:22 am by csweepigirl

» Was this teacher out of line?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Mar 03, 2010 10:31 pm by lovethefish

» OMG THE PLACE IS REMODELED!!!!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Mar 03, 2010 2:38 am by KelleyNNelson

» Got Plates?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Mar 02, 2010 1:19 am by KelleyNNelson

» Local IEP Advocate!! THANKS VAL!!!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Feb 28, 2010 1:16 pm by csweepigirl

» Pinellas ESE advisory board meetings
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 12:31 am by lovethefish

» Dentists who use sedation.. thanks Dr. Ron
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Feb 27, 2010 12:28 am by lovethefish

» Hey GAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Feb 24, 2010 5:25 am by csweepigirl

» Autism in the news: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hormone thought to encourage bonding between mothers and their babies may foster social behavior in some adults with autism, French researchers said on Monday.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Feb 18, 2010 7:01 am by csweepigirl

» **********echo*******************
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Jan 31, 2010 11:16 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Any ideas on how to make a gluten regression easier for both child and family?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Jan 06, 2010 9:47 am by csweepigirl

» Hi! Long time no see.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Dec 21, 2009 3:04 am by KelleyNNelson

» Hellooooo? Need some freakin' help here.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Dec 15, 2009 8:50 am by man of a million names

» Cats or dogs? Summer or winter?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Nov 23, 2009 6:47 am by man of a million names

» Mozark and the whale *aspergers movie* on showtime on demand.. SUCKED by the way
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Nov 23, 2009 6:42 am by man of a million names

» Adult Aspergers Syndrome
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Nov 22, 2009 4:07 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Asperger’s Syndrome: A Developmental Puzzle by Michael McCroskery
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Nov 22, 2009 12:22 pm by csweepigirl

» Really Cool Super Awesome Thing! Kim And Kelly You Have To Read This!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Nov 20, 2009 4:24 am by man of a million names

» 2 Articles of Interest Re: Aspergers
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Nov 19, 2009 6:15 am by csweepigirl

» Accidently stubled across some info about meletonin oops!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Nov 10, 2009 2:41 pm by csweepigirl

» Lack of Services for ASD
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Nov 09, 2009 8:04 pm by Dr. Ron

» New and having a hard time
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Nov 04, 2009 3:40 am by lovethefish

» Sorry I haven't been around as much (update)
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Nov 03, 2009 10:53 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Having a hard time again
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Oct 20, 2009 8:35 am by man of a million names

» Important paradox/riddle! Anyone care to help with it?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 19, 2009 10:46 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Follow through or not.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Oct 15, 2009 4:01 am by csweepigirl

» New Pediatrics Autism Study Putting Prevalence at 1 in 91
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Oct 14, 2009 11:45 am by csweepigirl

» Different Directions
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Oct 09, 2009 12:41 am by csweepigirl

» AS is a very difficult diagnosis to make.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Oct 08, 2009 1:47 pm by csweepigirl

» How is everyone?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Sep 21, 2009 9:48 pm by Jerry Graham

» CD to benefit the AAA ~!!!!! Check this out!!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Sep 21, 2009 11:14 am by bassfiddlesteve

» I met Joe Diffie's son!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Sep 20, 2009 8:01 am by csweepigirl

» Anyone feel like helping me smack the crap out of my former boss?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Sep 20, 2009 7:56 am by csweepigirl

» Lazy or Aspergers?? or both?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Sep 20, 2009 5:20 am by man of a million names

» The right thing?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Sep 15, 2009 7:27 am by man of a million names

» Mark Fowler and his wonderful work.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Sep 13, 2009 5:51 am by man of a million names

» A.A.A. RESEARCH STUDY. Do you see any differences between females with Aspergers vs. males with Aspergers
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Sep 10, 2009 1:49 pm by csweepigirl

» What happened?? because I don't know, do you?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Sep 10, 2009 6:24 am by man of a million names

» Haha, Funny URL.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 09, 2009 9:15 am by man of a million names

» Dude! Kim, I forgot to tell you... and maybe anyone else at the last meeting...
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Sep 05, 2009 4:59 am by man of a million names

» My son is making strange noises!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 04, 2009 11:41 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Terrible sound on video
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 04, 2009 9:30 am by man of a million names

» Aspian or Aspergian?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 04, 2009 7:22 am by man of a million names

» If you, or you know someone who needs a BIG/HUGE carseat..
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Sep 04, 2009 12:33 am by csweepigirl

» Just a quick hello
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 02, 2009 7:37 am by man of a million names

» We started the FLDRS process...and here's what we found out so far
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Sep 02, 2009 7:19 am by man of a million names

» Support Groups
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSun Aug 30, 2009 1:31 pm by KelleyNNelson

» (Aspergers) Boy Meets Girl Movie
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Aug 25, 2009 8:13 am by man of a million names

» I give up, with trying to ever just relax, really.. I'm so flustrated!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Aug 24, 2009 9:15 am by man of a million names

» Basic White or Yellow Cake
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 22, 2009 6:33 am by man of a million names

» When did this category get here?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 22, 2009 1:55 am by man of a million names

» Pork Fried Rice
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 20, 2009 11:17 pm by man of a million names

» Why Are The Private Messages Still Disabled????
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 20, 2009 10:48 pm by man of a million names

» Sorry I've been M.I.A.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 19, 2009 6:04 am by man of a million names

» 5Km Run For AS!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 14, 2009 11:30 pm by man of a million names

» Help for a mother.
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 12, 2009 12:01 pm by Dr. Ron

» Aspergers and empathy
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Aug 08, 2009 11:41 am by csweepigirl

» We are the three amigo(a)s!Aanyone care to join?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Aug 07, 2009 12:42 am by man of a million names

» Vaccinations, Red Book, What?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeThu Aug 06, 2009 12:21 am by Dr. Ron

» What is the first step?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Aug 05, 2009 7:14 am by Dr. Ron

» Children who can’t cuddle
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeMon Aug 03, 2009 1:27 pm by csweepigirl

» Challenging popular myths about autism
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Jul 31, 2009 10:59 pm by Dr. Ron

» I NEED your HELP!!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeSat Jul 25, 2009 2:41 am by melissa

» Ok..what do I do? any suggestions..
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeFri Jul 24, 2009 3:53 am by melissa

» Back home!
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Jul 22, 2009 2:10 pm by KelleyNNelson

» Any spanish speakers willing to help an aspie in spain?
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeWed Jul 22, 2009 1:34 pm by csweepigirl

» Gluten Free Simple Bread
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 21, 2009 11:49 am by csweepigirl

» More research (genetics)
More research (genetics) I_icon_minitimeTue Jul 21, 2009 11:43 am by csweepigirl


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More research (genetics)

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1More research (genetics) Empty More research (genetics) Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:43 am

csweepigirl

csweepigirl
Admin

The news coverage of autism is unfortunately dominated by ill-informed attempts to connect it to childhood vaccinations. Behind the hype, however, is a serious issue: diagnoses of the disorder have risen rapidly, while the biology has turned out to be complicated enough to confound early attempts to pin the underlying causes down. Still, progress is being made, and a paper published last week by PLoS Genetics provides a nice opportunity to review the consensus that appears to be emerging within the field. Recent data is reinforcing earlier findings that suggest autism is not a single disorder and doesn't have a single underlying cause, but instead is the product of a large number of individually minor genetic contributions.

Twin studies have suggested that there is a very significant genetic contribution to autism, with monozygotic (identical) twins sharing the disorder 92 percent of the time, compared to only 10 percent of other twins. The difference in rates also suggests that more than a single gene is responsible; otherwise, the 10 percent figure would be much higher. Indeed, a variety of studies have now identified individual genes that are associated with a tendency to autism. The new study expanded on this work, using a collection of over 900 families in which more than one child has been diagnosed with autism, provided by the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange. Results were also validated against an independent collection of 859 autistic individuals, and about 2,500 healthy controls.

The authors examined the DNA of these individuals, looking for what are termed copy number variations, or CNVs. CNVs can result from duplications, where an individual's chromosomes carry an extra copy of one portion of the genome, or deletions, where one of the two copies of a stretch of the genome is missing. Most individuals appear to carry a number of CNVs compared to the average human genome, so the authors focused on those that are more likely to have consequences: CNVs that include all or part of a gene.

They actually found quite a lot, even under fairly stringent conditions (at least three cases in two families in the experimental population). For deletions, they came up with 72 genes at 55 independent locations on the chromosome; duplications added 200 genes at 63 locations—the higher number of genes comes from the fact that duplications and deletions can affect more than one gene. A number of these genes had been identified previously as being associated with autism, and several of the genes showed up in the non-familial autism cases, both of which validated the approach.

But the big picture turns out to be in the little details. The absence of these CNVs in the unaffected population suggests that, individually, they're probably rare in the general populace. Some also may represent recent changes in the genome—the CNV in one family often wasn't identical to the one found in another, even when they contained the same gene. The other notable thing was that some of these CNVs showed up in unaffected children in the family pedigrees. So, there may be a steady background of new mutations that predispose individuals to autism, which explains its erratic appearance within families.

The authors note that "unaffected" siblings of those diagnosed with autism sometimes carry the same CNVs, but other research has indicated these individuals often have similar but less severe symptoms—"subclinical" in their words. This suggests that an individual CNV isn't enough to be causal. Instead, many may contribute, and the number and nature of genetic changes can combine with environmental influences to push individuals to different points along the spectrum of autism.

The other thing about the results that stuck out was the nature of the genes involved. The authors don't provide an exhaustive catalog, but there's a bias towards genes that mediate interactions among cells. These genes probably won't influence the basic structure of the brain—the right parts will be produced in the right places—but they may influence how those different parts establish connections among themselves, or how those connections are rearranged following learning or experience. A few of the other genes would appear to influence how nerve impulses are transmitted. Again, the impulses will probably still happen regardless of how many copies of these genes are present, but they may occur with different efficiency or dynamics.

Putting everything together, the results seem to point to a situation where genetics plays a big role in autism, but individual genes probably aren't that important. Instead, the genes found here seem to influence the function of the nervous system in subtle ways, and it's only the cumulative impact of these changes, and their interactions with environmental factors, that determine if and where an individual will fall within the autistic spectrum. That's not a convenient answer—we'll have a lot of work to do to sort things out further—but it may go a long way towards explaining some of the complexity of the disorder.

SOURCE: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/06/researchers-minor-genetic-flaws-may-combine-to-cause-autism.ars

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