Musings and What-not

According to Dictionary.com, the definitions for schizophrenia and autism are as follows.  There are other sites that offer more in-depth definitions, but I don't want to lose you which is why I chose shorter ones.: Schizophrenia Psychiatry . Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations. Autism Psychiatry . a pervasive developmental disorder of children, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment. Allow me to examine some of the words provided in each definition. Schizophrenia: Blunting: Slow to understand or perceive; dull. Deterioration: a gradual decline, as in quality, serviceability, or vigor. Isolation: to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone. Disorganized: functioning without adequate order, systemi...

In an announcement released earlier today, the University of Illinois at Chicago will be joining the international research effort to study autism. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are taking part in an international effort to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years. The initiative, called the Simons Simplex Collection, is the first coordinated effort to create a database of information about families with only one autistic child. Families eligible to participate in the study include those with only one child with an autism spectrum disorder, age four or older; one or more siblings without an autism spectrum disorder, age four or older; and unaffected biological parents who are willing to participate. Eligible children with an autism spectrum disorder will receive a behavioral assessment and all family members will donate blood, a source of DNA. A small number of families with no siblings or siblings under the age ...

Move over Contactin 4.  Here comes FOXP2. More and more reports are coming out talking about the genetic anomalies that contribute to autistic behaviors. The latest report comes from Reuters A gene linked to autism may also play a role in the most common childhood language disorder, researchers said on Wednesday, perhaps explaining why some children develop language difficulties. "This is the first time anyone has pinpointed a specific gene that is involved in common forms of language impairments," University of Oxford geneticist and Wellcome Trust researcher Simon Fisher, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. The condition known as specific language impairment affects an estimated 2-7 percent of pre-school children and is as common as dyslexia, Fisher said. The starting point for the study was a different gene called FOXP2 that regulates other genes and appears to play a role in a severe but rare form of speech and language disorder. I, for one, am thankful whene...

While many are pointing the finger at vaccines, scientists and researchers are still looking at the genetic connection with autism. According to The Vancouver Sun , A gene that helps the brain make connections may underlie a significant number of autism cases, researchers in the United States reported on Tuesday. Disruptions in the gene, called contactin 4, stop the gene from working properly and appear to stop the brain from making proper networks, the researchers reported in the Journal of Medical Genetics. These disruptions, in which the child has either three copies of the gene or just one copy when two copies is normal, could account for up to 2.5 percent of autism cases, said Dr. Eli Hatchwell of Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, who led the study. "That is a significant number," said Hatchwell. I realize 2.5% doesn't sound like very much.  I also realize that it will take a much larger number to grab the attention of those who think otherw...