Word: harkonarson
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...codes for two proteins called cadherin 9 and 10. These are sticky substances involved in a process known as neuronal cell adhesion. "They sit at the synapse, and when the nerves come together, these molecules adhere to the nerve," essentially fusing a connection in the brain, explains Dr. Hakon Harkonarson, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a lead author of the study. Preliminary research suggests that cadherin 10 is very active in wiring the frontal cortex of the brain during fetal development...
...itself, enough to cause autism, the Icelandic researcher is quick to point out. It would take a combination of several genetic flaws and perhaps environmental factors as well for autism to emerge. "This gene is a key driver in causing autism in about 15% of cases," Harkonarson asserts...
...Harkonarson suggests that problems in this kind of housekeeping or maintenance function could help explain why autistic children, who have normal-looking brains at birth, develop more abnormal wiring...
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