The researchers knew that when PAK was inactivated, the mice developed neurons that had short, fat dendritic spines, with a higher-than-usual capacity for relaying the electrical impulses that pass between brain cells.
In other words, the shape and function of the dendritic spines in the PAK mice was just the reverse of those seen in the brain cells of the mice with Fragile X syndrome.
The researchers gambled that the two abnormalities would cancel each other out, and that's exactly what the experiment showed.
My oldest is always telling me "Mom, I just want to be like the other kids. I want to get rid of this autism thing". Breaks my heart. He is so untypically sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. When you are different, that is a hard cross to carry. I want for my children to have a life that is typical. The disorder makes it hard to gauge if they will ever be capable of living alone, marrying or having a vocation. I know I am not the only mother praying for a cure....
Oh, and let's keep it out of the hands of the government before they muck that up too.
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I will keep you and your son in my prayers, and pray for a cure as well. I know autism can be a tough cross. Have you ever read- Precious Treasure, The Story of Patrick, by Elizabeth Matthews? It's one of my favorite books. Her son has autism and she documents her trials through letters to her son ( he has communication problems) and how God shows her the gifts and graces through them. It's filled with prayers and everyday miracles.My 6 month old has Down Syndrome. We are blessed that she is very healthy and doing very well. I think this book, which I had read years ago gave me the strength and faith to handle the news when we found out. God bless
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