Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Yale University have made progress in understanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
By using small, lab-grown models of the brain called organoids, they discovered an imbalance in certain types of brain cells. These findings could help explain why some individuals have autism.
Organoids are tiny, three-dimensional clusters of brain cells that mimic how real brains develop. They are especially useful for studying how the brain forms during pregnancy, which is a critical time for understanding autism.
Dr. Alexej Abyzov from the Mayo Clinic highlights that organoids allow scientists to see what might be going wrong in early brain development in people with autism.
Autism is a condition that affects social interaction and behavior, and it varies widely from person to person. Some people with ASD might have mild symptoms, while others may face more significant challenges.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 1 in every 36 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with ASD.
In this study, the researchers began by taking skin cells from individuals diagnosed with ASD.
They then reprogrammed these cells to become like stem cells, which are basic cells that can grow into any cell type in the body, including brain cells. Using this approach, they created miniature brain models in the lab.
To understand how these tiny brains develop, the team used a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing. This allowed them to study gene activity in each individual brain cell.
By examining over 664,000 cells, they found changes in certain genes that play a key role in how brain cells develop and organize during the early stages of brain formation.
These findings build on more than ten years of research by Dr. Abyzov and his team, including Dr. Flora Vaccarino from Yale University.
In their earlier studies, they discovered important molecular differences between organoids created from people with and without autism. One of the key genes they identified was called FOXG1, which seems to play a role in the development of ASD.
The research team also noticed a connection between the size of the forebrain and autism. This region of the brain is associated with functions like social behavior and decision-making.
The team found that the imbalance in brain cells in people with autism was linked to the size of their forebrain. This could help explain why some individuals with autism have differences in brain structure.
Dr. Abyzov hopes that these findings could eventually lead to a way to detect autism risk before a child is born. If scientists can figure out how brain development gets disrupted in autism, it might be possible to create prenatal tests in the future.
However, there is still much to learn about how changes in brain cell regulation affect overall brain growth. Dr. Abyzov believes that organoids could be key to closing this gap in understanding.
The study’s results were published in Nature Neuroscience, highlighting the potential of this new approach.
While there is still a long way to go, this research offers valuable insights into how autism may begin in the developing brain, and it opens up new possibilities for early detection and intervention.
If you care about autism, please read studies that cats may help decrease anxiety for kids with autism and new study may develop better treatment for autism
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to a healthy brain, and results showing this type of food may contribute to autism.
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