Autism is a condition that starts early in life and affects how a person communicates, behaves, and connects with others.
It is something people are born with, and it is more common in boys than in girls. Today, about 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with autism.
Scientists still don’t know exactly what causes autism, but they are learning more about how the brain works differently in people with this condition. One key idea is that autism may happen when brain cells don’t connect the way they should during early development.
Our brains are made up of billions of tiny cells called neurons. These brain cells send signals to each other through small links called synapses. You can think of synapses like little bridges that help messages move from one cell to another. These connections are very important for learning, thinking, and interacting with others.
Right after babies are born, their brains begin building many new synapses very quickly. This helps their brains grow and learn. But what if the brain doesn’t build enough of these bridges, or if the connections don’t work well? Some scientists believe this might be one reason why autism develops.
A team of researchers led by Peter Penzes at Northwestern University wanted to explore this question. They focused on a gene called ANK3. This gene makes a protein called ankyrin-G, which helps brain cells grow dendrites.
Dendrites are like little arms that reach out from a brain cell to connect with other brain cells. The more connections they make, the better the brain can share and process information.
But ankyrin-G needs help to do its job. That help comes from another protein made by a gene called Usp9X. This protein acts like a helper and protector. It keeps ankyrin-G strong and working properly. When both proteins work together, brain cells can grow many strong connections.
If the Usp9X protein isn’t working right, ankyrin-G begins to break down and disappear. This happens at a very important time—just after birth—when the brain is growing and making many new connections.
Without enough ankyrin-G, brain cells can’t make enough synapses. This leads to weaker communication between brain cells, which could cause problems with learning, behavior, and social skills.
To learn more, the researchers studied mice that had problems with the Usp9X gene. These mice had fewer synapses in their brains. They also behaved differently than healthy mice. The scientists think these changes in the brain might be similar to what happens in some people with autism.
This research suggests that problems with the Usp9X gene might be one possible cause of autism. It doesn’t explain every case, but it gives scientists a better understanding of how the brain might develop differently in children with autism.
The study was published in the journal Neuron and is an important step in understanding the biology of autism. Even small changes in how brain cells connect can have a big effect on how a person thinks, learns, and relates to others. With more research, scientists hope these findings can help lead to better ways to detect and support people with autism in the future.
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