People hear the word autism from here and there. The quest to learn what causes this disorder has been ongoing but a study published in the journal Nature Genetics seemed to have identified a gene that may cause the development of this complex disorder in children.
Tshz3 gene linking kidney problems and autism was discovered by Professor Adrian Woolf of The University of Manchester. The professor, who worked as a children’s consultant in London, found that the said gene was missing on one of his patients who was born with abnormal kidneys.
The same patient, who had a missing Tshz3 or also known as the “Teashirt” gene, showed characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Consequently, a genetic testing was reportedly conducted on ten patients who presented with the same symptoms and it was confirmed that all of them had the said gene missing, according to the report of Science Daily.
There had been many studies, which suggest that some people have genetic predisposition to autism. In line with this, researchers are reportedly on the look out for clues on which genes contribute to the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder. A couple of theories, like antibodies attacking the brains of children due to inappropriate production of the body’s immune system, abnormalities in the brain structure and environmental factors, were identified and listed on WebMD as possible contributing factors to autism.
Furthermore, there are researches that suggest the events before and during birth are considered as risk factors to the development of the disorder. Among others, they include illness of the mother during gestation and childbirth difficulties, especially those periods which involves deprivation of oxygen to the child’s brain.
The concrete answer to what really caused Autism may still be blurry at this point. However, an article on Autism Speaks pointed out that since there was no one type of autism, there was no one cause to it, hence, the name Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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