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Details and link in the comments | image tagged in autism,news | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
128 views 5 upvotes Made by Zabroglexis 2 years ago in NeurodivergentsUnite
3 Comments
1 up, 2y,
1 reply
The good: "The new study finds brain-wide changes in virtually all of the 11 cortical regions analyzed. This holds true regardless of whether they are higher critical association regions – those involved in functions such as reasoning, language, social cognition, and mental flexibility – or primary sensory regions."

"While each profiled cortical region showed changes, the largest drop off in gene levels were in the visual cortex and the parietal cortex, which processes information like touch, pain and temperature. The researchers said this may reflect the sensory hypersensitivity that is frequently reported in people with ASD. Researchers found strong evidence that the genetic risk for autism is enriched in a specific neuronal module that has lower expression across the brain, indicating that RNA changes in the brain are likely the cause of ASD rather than a result of the disorder."

The concerning: " 'This provides us with a molecular pathology, which similar to other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and stroke, provides a key starting point for understanding the disorder’s mechanisms, which will inform and accelerate development of disease-altering therapies.' ”

"One of the next steps is to determine whether researchers can use computational approaches to develop therapies based on reversing gene expression changes the researchers found in ASD. . ."
1 up, 2y
I say good because understanding the orders of cause and effect and where the hyper or hypo sensitivity come from is important to helping in acceptance and communication as well as diagnosis and treatment for symptoms.

I say concerning because this kind of language leans heavily into "finding a cure" for autism, which I and many other people in the community are very much against. We are not defective. We are not some nuisance to be removed from society. In my honest theory we are simply the next step in human evolution, but I won't dive into that right now.

Comparing ASD to Alzheimer's or Parkinson's seems very wrong to me. "Disease altering therapies" implies that ASD is a disease and not a disorder. Which denotes a completely different meaning. "Reversing gene expression" sounds a lot like a slope towards eugenics. These are just my opinions on the news though.

Thoughts?
1 up, 2y
https://scitechdaily.com/brain-changes-in-autism-are-far-more-extensive-than-previously-known/amp/
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