Mutations to Dyrk1a gene lead to brain undergrowth; an existing drug rescues the condition in newborn mice
A genetic mutation linked to autism causes significant undergrowth of brain tissue. An existing medicine appears to rescue the condition in mouse studies.
Damage to the autism-associated gene Dyrk1a, sets off a cascade of problems in developing mouse brains, resulting in abnormal growth-factor signaling, undergrowth of neurons, smaller-than-average brain size, and, eventually, autism-like behaviors, a new study from Scripps Research, Florida, finds.
The study from neuroscientist Damon Page, PhD, describes a new mechanism underlying the brain undergrowth seen in individuals with Dyrk1a mutations. Page’s team used those insights to target the affected pathway with an existing medicine, a growth hormone. It restored normal brain growth in the Dyrk1a mutant mice, Page says.
Autism gene study could expand treatment opportunities
Published:
Tags:
JUPITER, Fla. – Researchers in Florida are expanding the understanding of some of the mechanisms involved in autism by zeroing in on genes that influence early brain growth.
Neuroscientist Dr. Damon Page and a team of scientists at Scripps Research in Jupiter have documented the impact of the loss of a gene called Dryk1a on brain undergrowth, which is a factor in some children with autism.
They also found that an existing medication already approved for use in children showed benefit in mouse studies.
“These are really kind of early day studies, but we think that’s really promising because that’s correcting one of the major problems that is associated with Dyrk1a mutations,” Page said.
E-Mail
IMAGE: A side-by-side look at the brains of a normal newborn mouse and one lacking the autism and intellectual disability risk gene Dyrk1a. view more
Credit: Damon Page Lab, Scripps Research
JUPITER, FL Damage to the autism-associated gene Dyrk1a, sets off a cascade of problems in developing mouse brains, resulting in abnormal growth-factor signaling, undergrowth of neurons, smaller-than-average brain size, and, eventually, autism-like behaviors, a new study from Scripps Research, Florida, finds.
The study from neuroscientist Damon Page, PhD, describes a new mechanism underlying the brain undergrowth seen in individuals with Dyrk1a mutations. Page s team used those insights to target the affected pathway with an existing medicine, a growth hormone. It restored normal brain growth in the Dyrk1a mutant mice, Page says.