LuceritoLopez

3/4/15
Normalvs.AutismBrainFunction
EssentialQuestion:

WhathappensintheamygdalawithAutismSpectrumDisorder?

Background:

AutismSpectrumDisorderisthegroupofdevelopmentaldisabilitiesthatcausesdifficultyin
social,communication,andbehavioralchallenges.Although,autisticchildrendon'thavemajorfacial
featuresthereareafew.Inapreviousresearch,theywereabletoexamine224autisticpatientsand
224nonautisticpeopleasacontrol.(H.Ozgen,2012)Itwasfoundthatmostoftheautisticandnon
autistichadseveraldifferentfeaturesincludingfaceasymmetry,prominentforehead,andabnormal
whorl.Peoplewithautismstartshowingsymptomsintheearlystages.Typicallyachildaroundthe
ageof2or3startsdevelopingthesymptoms.

Achildattheageof3startstodevelopcommunicationandsocialskillswhichtheyareableto
communicatewiththeirparentsusingwordsorbeabletointeractwithothers.Achildwithautism
cantdoanyofthesethings,andtheyhaveahardtimebeingabletocommunicateandarentsocial
butterflies.Although,theyarentabletousewordstocommunicatetheyareabletoreciteversesfrom
otherthingstheyhaveheard.Sociallyautisticchildrendontseemtointeractwithanyonewhenthey
arehappy,theydontpointatobjectsthatareofinterest,anddontrespondwhentheirnameiscalled.

Inarecentstudy,researchersusedrodentstobeabletotestoutamedicalprocedurethatcan
helpparentsnothavechildrenwithautismspectrumdisorderchildren.Thisresearchwasconductedin
aclinicaltrialusingacontrolrodentandexperimentalrodent.Thisresearchteamusedan
experimentaltreatmentcalledbumetanide.OneoftherodentshadagenedefectthatcausedFragileX
syndromeinhumansandtheotherrodentwasexposedtodrugvalproate.AFragileXSyndromeisa
geneticconditionthatcausesdevelopmentalproblemsincludinglearningdisabilities.Bothofthe
rodentshadsimilarbehaviorsasthesymptomsofautism.
Whentherodentsweregiventhebumetaniderightbeforegivingbirththeyhadseenresult.
Whenthebabieswereborntheydidntseemtoshowanysymptomsofautism.Although,thisstudy
wasdoneonrodentsthetrailonpregnantwomenstillneedstobedone.Therebeenalotofquestions
abouthowthisnewmedicaltreatmentwillrespondwiththebrainandthebody.
Anotherstudywasdonewithautisticpeopleandnonautisticpeople.Theamygdalafunctions
toshowemotion,emotionalbehavior,andmotivation.Thestudyuseddifferentdesignstoexaminethe
effectsofnaturalviewingandaneyegazemanipulation.ThedatahadshownthatpeoplewithASD
hadaslowerresponsetofacialexpressionsandfacialrecognitions.Theirfindingshadstatedthatthe
motionthatgazedirectionmodulatesaffectiveresponsetofacesinautismspectrumdisorder.
ModelOrganism:
Rodentsarethemostcommonmodeltobeusedinresearchstudies.Thistypeofanimalwill
begreattodoresearchrelatedwithautism.Itisagreatapproachbecausethemicefamilyiseasyto
studyduetotheircomplexbehavioralrepertoire.Theseanimalscaneasilybestudiedbecausethey
similarfeaturesinautismcanbestimulatedinrodents.Behaviorsthataremostcommoninautism
spectrumdisorderscanbealsopresentinrodents.Thiswouldincludeanxiety,abnormalpain
sensitivity,eyeblinkcondition,andsleepingpatterns.Somestudieshavebeendonewhere

environmentalriskfactorsforautismhavebeenseeninrodents,suchasmaternalinfectionand
maternalvalproate.
ExperimentalTechnique:
Aexperimentaltechniquethatcanbeusedtostudythisquestionwouldbeusingmedicalprocedures.
ThiswillincludebeingabletoinsertrodentswithdifferentsDNAormedicaltreatmentsthatwill
causethemtohavesimilarsymptomsofanautisticperson.Itwilllettherodenthavesimilar
characteristicandwedbeabletoexamineiftheiraspecificbrainregionsthatcontributedtothis.
AnothergreatexperimentaltechniquewouldbeusingtheFMRI.ThefMRIisagreattechniquethat
canbeusedinamodelashumans.Thiscanbeeasilytestedonhumanstoseeneuronactivitywill
therestillorevenwilltheredoinganactivity.

SocietalandEthicalImpacts:

References:

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Frith,U.,&Happe,F.(2005,October11).AutismSpectrumDisorder.RetrievedMarch10,2015,
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APotentDiureticasAutismTreatment?(2014,February6).RetrievedMarch10,2015,from
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m

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http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s1080301215544/fulltext.html

Isitautism?Facialfeaturesthatshowdisorder.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch17,2015,from
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LivingwithAutism|AutismSociety.(n.d.).RetrievedMarch17,2015,from
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http://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism/autismspectrumdisorders.htm

http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/124/10/2059