California [US], Some children with autism face serious, long-term challenges such as developmental delays, social issues and even an inability to communicate. Others report mild symptoms that get better over time.
Until now, experts have been unable to explain the difference in results. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have published the first study on this topic in the journal Molecular Autism. Its discoveries include the discovery that the biological basis of these two forms of autism develops in utero.Researchers used blood-based stem cells from 10 children aged 1 to 4 with idiopathic autism (in which no single-gene cause was identified) to create brain cortical organoids (BCOs), or models of the embryonic cortex. Used. They also created the BCO from six neurotypical children. Often referred to as gray matter, the cortex lines the outside of the brain. It contains billions of nerve cells and is responsible for essential functions such as consciousness, thinking, reasoning, learning, memory, emotions and sensory functions.
Among their findings: According to two rounds of the study conducted in different years (2021 and 2022), the BCO of children with autism was significantly larger than that of neurotypical control children – by about 40 percent.Each round involved the creation of hundreds of organoids from each patient.
Researchers also found that abnormal BCO increases in children with autism were related to the presentation of their disease. The larger a child's BCO size, the more severe their social and language symptoms will be later in life, and the larger their brain structures will be on MRI. Children with greatly increased BCO showed greater-than-normal volume in social, language, and sensory brain areas compared to neurotypical peers. Alison Muotri, PhD, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center at the University Said, "The bigger the brain, the better it is not necessarily better." SSCI is directed by Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., a leading physician-scientist in cancer stem cell biology whose research explores the fundamental question of how space drives cancer progression. Changes.
Muotri, who is also a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular, said, "We found that children with severe autism have more cells and sometimes more neurons in their brains — and that's not always for the good. " Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Furthermore, the BCO of all children with autism, regardless of severity, increased approximately three times faster than that of neurotypical children. Accelerated formation of neurons was also observed in some of the largest brain organoids from children with the most severe, persistent cases of autism.The more severe a child's autism, the faster his BCO grows — sometimes to the point of developing an excess of neurons. Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurosciences, who developed Muotri's Called the study "one of a kind". Matching data from children with autism — including their IQ, symptom severity and imaging such as MRI — with their corresponding BCO or similar stem cell-derived models makes an incredible amount of sense, he said. But strangely this kind of research was not done before his work.
"The core symptoms of autism are social-emotional and communication problems," said Courchesne, who also serves as co-director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence." "We need to understand the underlying neurobiological causes of those challenges and when they begin. "We are the first to design an autism stem cell study addressing this specific and central question."
Autism has long been recognized as a complex group of progressive disorders that begins before birth and involves multiple stages and processes. While no two people with autism are the same – just as there are no two neurotypical people – people with the neurodevelopmental condition can generally be divided into two categories: those who have severe social struggles and those who require lifelong care. require verbal communication, and they may also be nonverbal, and those who have a mild version of the condition eventually develop good language skills and social relationships. Scientists have not been able to figure out why at least one percent of individuals with autism Why do the two groups exist?They have not even been able to prenatally identify children with autism, let alone predict how severe their condition might be.
Until now, experts have been unable to explain the difference in results. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have published the first study on this topic in the journal Molecular Autism. Its discoveries include the discovery that the biological basis of these two forms of autism develops in utero.Researchers used blood-based stem cells from 10 children aged 1 to 4 with idiopathic autism (in which no single-gene cause was identified) to create brain cortical organoids (BCOs), or models of the embryonic cortex. Used. They also created the BCO from six neurotypical children. Often referred to as gray matter, the cortex lines the outside of the brain. It contains billions of nerve cells and is responsible for essential functions such as consciousness, thinking, reasoning, learning, memory, emotions and sensory functions.
Among their findings: According to two rounds of the study conducted in different years (2021 and 2022), the BCO of children with autism was significantly larger than that of neurotypical control children – by about 40 percent.Each round involved the creation of hundreds of organoids from each patient.
Researchers also found that abnormal BCO increases in children with autism were related to the presentation of their disease. The larger a child's BCO size, the more severe their social and language symptoms will be later in life, and the larger their brain structures will be on MRI. Children with greatly increased BCO showed greater-than-normal volume in social, language, and sensory brain areas compared to neurotypical peers. Alison Muotri, PhD, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center at the University Said, "The bigger the brain, the better it is not necessarily better." SSCI is directed by Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., a leading physician-scientist in cancer stem cell biology whose research explores the fundamental question of how space drives cancer progression. Changes.
Muotri, who is also a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular, said, "We found that children with severe autism have more cells and sometimes more neurons in their brains — and that's not always for the good. " Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Furthermore, the BCO of all children with autism, regardless of severity, increased approximately three times faster than that of neurotypical children. Accelerated formation of neurons was also observed in some of the largest brain organoids from children with the most severe, persistent cases of autism.The more severe a child's autism, the faster his BCO grows — sometimes to the point of developing an excess of neurons. Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurosciences, who developed Muotri's Called the study "one of a kind". Matching data from children with autism — including their IQ, symptom severity and imaging such as MRI — with their corresponding BCO or similar stem cell-derived models makes an incredible amount of sense, he said. But strangely this kind of research was not done before his work.
"The core symptoms of autism are social-emotional and communication problems," said Courchesne, who also serves as co-director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence." "We need to understand the underlying neurobiological causes of those challenges and when they begin. "We are the first to design an autism stem cell study addressing this specific and central question."
Autism has long been recognized as a complex group of progressive disorders that begins before birth and involves multiple stages and processes. While no two people with autism are the same – just as there are no two neurotypical people – people with the neurodevelopmental condition can generally be divided into two categories: those who have severe social struggles and those who require lifelong care. require verbal communication, and they may also be nonverbal, and those who have a mild version of the condition eventually develop good language skills and social relationships. Scientists have not been able to figure out why at least one percent of individuals with autism Why do the two groups exist?They have not even been able to prenatally identify children with autism, let alone predict how severe their condition might be.
