WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsCleveland clinic's study could crack autism puzzle
Member Center:
(NBC) - Science has long proven that Autism is some type of developmental disorder in the brain, but there's never been a definitive answer for its cause.
However, a Cleveland Clinic researcher released a study that may provide some sort of answer in the autism puzzle.
When 5-year-old Paul first came to the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism, he could not communicate and he had serious behavioral problems. After early intervention, he's made a lot of progress.
Dr. Thomas Frazier thinks autism is linked to the size of the corpus callosum in the brain.
"So you can imagine if your corpus callosum is not working right," Frazier explained. "Then the two sides of the brain aren't going to communicate correctly."
People with autism typically are not able to process complex social and emotional cues. If a smaller corpus callosum means brain neurons can't develop, it may explain part of the disorder and scientists can start looking for the genes responsible.
"The best way to study the genetic side is not to treat every kid with autism like they have the same disorder. It's to actually look at more specific aspects of the disorder like brain structure," Frazier said.
It's hope for Paul's Mom, Amy Witzigreuter.
"This is proof that there are areas of their brains that are different and affect the way they develop," Witzigreuter said.
Dr. Aletta Sinoff runs the clinic's autism program. She's seen first hand how early intervention treatment helps many children with autism go mainstream.
Sinoff hopes Frazier's research develops a way to actually measure if treatment improves brain connections.
"That would allow us to predict for particular children what treatment works better than others," said Sinoff.
While a handful of genes have been linked to autism, Frazier thinks there's hundreds more yet to be found.
Copyright 2010 NBC. All rights reserved.
Comments Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. By submitting a comment, you agree to these
Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register See all comments |
