Neuroscientists find that two rare autism-related disorders are caused by opposing malfunctions in the brain

(Medical Xpress) -- Most cases of autism are not caused by a single genetic mutation. However, several disorders with autism-like symptoms, including the rare Fragile X syndrome, can be traced to a specific mutation. Several years ago, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear discovered that this mutation leads to overproduction of proteins found in brain synapses -- the connections between neurons that allow them to communicate with each other.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg