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Posts Tagged ‘Rett Syndrome’

DNMT helps neurons remember epigenetic stuff

Posted in BDNF, DNMT, Hippocampus, RLN, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Image by DerrickT via Flickr Most cells in your adult body are “terminally differentiated” – meaning that they have developed from stem cells into the final liver, or heart, or muscle or endothelial cell that they were meant to be.  From that point onward, cells are able to “remember” to stay in this final state [...]

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FMR1 points to mechanisms of tactile defensiveness in autism spectrum disorders

Posted in FMR1, Somatosensory cortex, Thalamus, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Image by cobalt123 via Flickr If you have a minute, check out this “Autism Sensory Overload Simulation” video to get a feel for the perceptual difficulties experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders.  A recent article, “Critical Period Plasticity Is Disrupted in the Barrel Cortex of Fmr1 Knockout Mice” [doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.024] provides some clues to [...]

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Epigenetics and cognitive development – quick sketch overview

Posted in BDNF, MECP2, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Some quick sketches that might help put the fast-growing epigenetics and cognitive development literature into context.  Visit the University of Utah’s Epigenetics training site for more background! The genome is just the A,G,T,C bases that encode proteins and other mRNA molecules.  The “epi”genome are various modification to the DNA – such as methylation (at C [...]

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Epigenetic loss of an insensitive period of cognitive development

Posted in Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, NRXB1, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

We are all familiar with the notion that genes are NOT destiny and that the development of an individual’s mind and body occur in a manner that is sensitive to the environment (e.g. children who eat lots of healthy food grow bigger and stronger than those who have little or no access to food).  In [...]

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Nature meets nurture on BDNF promoter IV

Posted in BDNF, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

According to Joseph LeDoux, “One of the most important contributions of modern neuroscience has been to show that the nature/nurture debate operates around a false dichotomy: the assumption that biology, on one hand, and lived experience, on the other, affect us in fundamentally different ways” (ref).  Indeed.  While I know not where the current debate [...]

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podcast: Rett Syndrome Research Trust

Posted in MECP2, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

It was a delight today to chat with Monica Coenraads, Executive Director of the Rett Syndrome Research Trust.  The RSRT has teamed up with a deeply focused world-class team of research scientists to translate the fruits of basic research on Rett syndrome into viable cures.   Whether you are a scientist, student or concerned family member, [...]

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Too much yin and not enough yang in cortical networks of MeCP2 mutant mice

Posted in MECP2, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Image via Wikipedia In previous posts, we have explored some of the basic molecular (de-repression of chromatin structure) and cellular (excess synaptogenesis) consequences of mutations in the MeCP2 gene – a.k.a the gene whose loss of function gives rise to Rett syndrome.  One of the more difficult aspects of understanding how a mutation in a [...]

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Support staff deserves some of the blame for Rett syndrome deficits

Posted in MECP2, White matter, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Celebrities and politicians are known for their love of the spotlight.  “Me, me, me!”  are the words to get ahead by in our modern media circus.   As well, it can even be – in the unglamorous world of science – where, in characteristically geeky form, the conventional wisdom is to shout, “my hypothesis, my [...]

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resourceblog: Understanding the molecular basis of cognitive and social impairment in the autism spectrum disorders

Posted in HDACs, MECP2, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Image via Wikipedia The cognitive and emotional impairments in the autism spectrum disorders can be difficult for parents and siblings to understand and cope with.  Here are some graphics and videos that might assist in understanding how genetic mutations and epigenetic modifications can lead to various forms of social withdrawl commonly observed in the autism [...]

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Epigenetic puppetmasters pull strings of cognitive development from a safe distance

Posted in HDACs, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 21, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Image by eugene via Flickr The homunculus (argument) is a pesky problem in cognitive science – a little guy who might suddenly appear when you propose a mechanism for decision making, spontaneous action or forethought  etc. – and would take credit for the origination of the neural impulse.  While there are many mechanistic models of [...]

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