There have been new causes of autism discovered in the past few months, which are starting to shed some light in the darkness that surrounds one of the most peculiar and common child developmental disorders, autism. Right now, a new study proposes for the first time ever, that autism begins in the womb. This new finding could turn everything we knew about autism upside down.
Autism Begins in the Womb
Up until now, the origins of autism have been debated by scientists all over the world. What we know about autism is that it is linked to brain chemistry and abnormal brain biology. Genes seem to have a say in the development of autism, but some have also suspected that a gluten diet may contribute to autism and, also, even mercury poisoning and vaccines.
A study published in the PLoS computational Biology advocates that pollution could have a role in the development of autism, but no specific toxins were named. 100 million US health insurance claims have been studied and the conclusion was that for every 1% increase in genital births defects in a district, the rate of autism in that particular area increased by almost 300%.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed the brain tissue of young kids with autism and the findings were quite interesting. It was discovered that key genetic markers across many layers if brain cells were missing in the brains of autistic children and also that genetic flaws were occurring in focal patches of the brain tissue.
In short, in children suffering from autism, the process of creating six distinct layers with specific brain cells had been disrupted, thus causing the development of autism. The focal patches still need further studying, but their discovery is amazing, as the area where they occur is the size of a pencil eraser.
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