Autism forms in the womb

Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Allen Institute for Brain Science (USA) have found scientific evidence that autism begins to form in the early stages in the mother's womb.

Abnormal development of neural tissue in the cerebral cortex is the direct cause of autism.

Scientists analyzed 25 genes in the brain tissue of the deceased babies. Some had autism, others did not. Scientists looked at genes that act as biomarkers for brain tissue in different layers of the cortex, genes that can cause autism, and several other types of genes.

According to Dr. Eric Courchesne, professor of neurology and director of the Autism Center (San Diego, USA), during pregnancy, the baby's outer brain will be formed by 6 brain layers. However, in children with autism, these outer brain layers will not be intact and will often have the appearance of tiny membranes, but that is enough to cause autism. What is more surprising is that children with autism in the womb all develop the disease in the very early stages of pregnancy.

As the brain begins to form, each outer brain layer forms brain tissue specific to each brain layer, which will later process specific types of information. As brain tissue develops into brain layers, a unique gene signature is also formed. Research shows that the brains of children with autism lack a specific gene signature in one or more of the outer brain layers.

This defect prevents the formation of the six healthy outer brain layers, early in pregnancy. Furthermore, defects in this genetic “signature” can occur anywhere in the brain layers, so the severity and type of autism vary.

The most commonly affected areas are the forehead and temples.

Deficiencies in the frontal genetic signature lead to difficulties in communication and recognition of gestures, while defects in the temporal side affect language ability. These signs are also the most common signs of autism.

Scientists agree that studying the origins of autism is complicated, as it usually involves studying the brains of children who have already been born or adults. But in this case, American researchers have found the cause of autism in patients in the womb and have determined how the disease develops in the womb.

In addition, finding that autism is caused by abnormalities in certain regions of the outer layers of the brain, rather than abnormalities in the entire brain, also offers great hope for treating and improving this increasingly common disease.

According to researchers, abnormalities in each brain region also explain why children have autism. After a period of training, they will improve and have more positive changes.

This study also supports the view that in the brains of children with autism, the brain can sometimes reconnect with the original defects; therefore, this also opens up hope that understanding these defective areas will help explain the improvement in autism in children over time.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to dantri.com