Autism is one of the developmental disorders with no known cause of reason. However, a new "3D brain model" will provide the clues we've been looking for.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1% of the world's population has autism. In the United States, over 3 million people are diagnosed with the disorder. Yet its actual cause remains relatively unknown. Some have already pointed their fingers on vaccination, which many experts have debunked, while others attribute it to genes. Many believe that changes in the brain during the embryonic stage, no matter how small, can determine whether the child is going to be autistic.
To help them understand the complexity of the brain and its development, a group of researchers from Yale University with Flora Vaccarino as the lead author used a 3D model, which includes developing a brain organoid.
This brain organoid is simply a stem cell that is processed in the lab to resemble forebrain neurons. The stem cell, on the other hand, is derived from the skin cells of the head of 4 patients diagnosed with autism. They also produced brain organoids from the fathers of patients. These parents didn't have autism.
As to why parents have to be involved, other than comparison, it's been believed that mutations of the parent genes contribute to autism. Before, animal models have been used, but the results were not always satisfactory. With this method, they can now observe the development of the brain in the embryonic stage.
After several tests such as genetic sequencing, the researchers discovered marked differences between the two sets of organoids. Those of autism patients have a more pronounced in one gene that is important in the early development of the brain. Interestingly, they were able to decrease the expression without causing any more neuron imbalance.
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by the person's difficulty to establish relationships and communicate. Often, the signs of the disease can begin as early as a few months old, although they become more pronounced as the child grows older. As a spectrum disorder, there are many degrees of autism.