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I am a 24-year-old autistic woman with degrees in biochemistry and English literature.
Autist's Corner
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- November 11, 2011
- 05:52 PM
- 348 views
Signal Transduction in Autism
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
I provide A LOT of background information about signal transduction using cAMP as the second messenger, focusing in particular on the role of protein kinase A. I also look at some of the specialized functions PKA performs in neurons, before going on to describe a study comparing PKA activity and expression in different regions of the brain in three groups of people: autistic people with a history of regression, autistic people with no history of regression, and people without autism. (While describing this study, I also explain how the ELISA test and Western blotting work).... Read more »
Ji, L., Chauhan, V., Flory, M., & Chauhan, A. (2011) Brain Region–Specific Decrease in the Activity and Expression of Protein Kinase A in the Frontal Cortex of Regressive Autism. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023751
- August 16, 2011
- 11:43 PM
- 400 views
More Autistic Strengths: Symmetry-Spotting
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
A recent study has added to the list of cognitive strengths peculiar to autism: in this study, a group of autistic teens/young adults and a group of age-, IQ-, sex- and eyesight-matched control subjects were shown a series of paired images, all of them different arrangements of lots and lots of tiny black-and-white dots, and determine which of the two images has some of the dots arranged in a symmetric pattern. Consistently, the autistic young people were able to pick out the symmetrical images at lower signal-to-noise ratios (i.e., with smaller proportions of the dots possessing mirror images) than their non-autistic peers.... Read more »
Perreault, A., Gurnsey, R., Dawson, M., Mottron, L., & Bertone, A. (2011) Increased Sensitivity to Mirror Symmetry in Autism. PLoS ONE, 6(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019519
- August 9, 2011
- 04:47 PM
- 340 views
British Neuroscientist Thinks the Internet Is Rewiring Our Brains
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
When Susan Greenfield was asked for evidence supporting her wacky idea that the Internet might be making people autistic, she cited three papers: two studies and one review. I will look at all of them and see how well they support the least ridiculous formulation of her idea, which is that heavy Internet use can physically change the brain of the user.
In this post, I look at a study of brain-structure differences between Internet-addicted Chinese university students and their non-addicted peers. ... Read more »
Yuan, K., Qin, W., Wang, G., Zeng, F., Zhao, L., Yang, X., Liu, P., Liu, J., Sun, J., von Deneen, K.... (2011) Microstructure Abnormalities in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder. PLoS ONE, 6(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020708
- July 17, 2011
- 10:10 PM
- 504 views
Autism-Related Gene Spotlight: MECP2
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Description of the MECP2 gene, the protein it encodes, its role in the cell, and how various mutations affect the protein's ability to do what it needs to do in the cell, which is chiefly to bind to nucleic acids.... Read more »
Amir RE, Van den Veyver IB, Wan M, Tran CQ, Francke U, & Zoghbi HY. (1999) Rett syndrome is caused by mutations in X-linked MECP2, encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2. Nature genetics, 23(2), 185-188. PMID: 10508514
Bienvenu, T. (2000) MECP2 mutations account for most cases of typical forms of Rett syndrome. Human Molecular Genetics, 9(9), 1377-1384. DOI: 10.1093/hmg/9.9.1377
Bienvenu T, Souville I, Poirier K, Aquaviva C, Burglen L, Amiel J, Héron B, Kaminska A, Couvert P, Beldjord C.... (2001) Five novel frameshift mutations in exon 3 and 4 of the MECP2 gene identified in Rett patients: Consequences for the molecular diagnosis strategy. Human mutation, 18(3), 251-252. PMID: 11524737
Díaz de León-Guerrero, S., Pedraza-Alva, G., & Pérez-Martínez, L. (2011) In sickness and in health: the role of methyl-CpG binding protein 2 in the central nervous system. European Journal of Neuroscience, 33(9), 1563-1574. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07658.x
Free, Andrew, Robert I. D. Wakefield, Brian O. Smith, David T. F. Dryden, Paul N. Barlow, & Adrian P. Bird. (2000) DNA Recognition by the Methyl-CpG Binding Domain of MeCP2. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(5), 3353-3360. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M007224200
Hite, K., Adams, V., & Hansen, J. (2009) Recent advances in MeCP2 structure and function. Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 87(1), 219-227. DOI: 10.1139/o08-115
Hoffbuhr K, Devaney JM, LaFleur B, Sirianni N, Scacheri C, Giron J, Schuette J, Innis J, Marino M, Philippart M.... (2001) MeCP2 mutations in children with and without the phenotype of Rett syndrome. Neurology, 56(11), 1486-1495. PMID: 11402105
Kudo, S., Y. Nomura, M. Segawa, N. Fujita, M. Nakao, C. Schanen, & M. Tamura. (2003) Heterogeneity in residual function of MeCP2 carrying missense mutations in the methyl CpG binding domain. Journal of Medical Genetics, 40(7), 487-493. DOI: 10.1136/jmg.40.7.487
Kumar, A., Kamboj, S., Malone, B., Kudo, S., Twiss, J., Czymmek, K., LaSalle, J., & Schanen, N. (2008) Analysis of protein domains and Rett syndrome mutations indicate that multiple regions influence chromatin-binding dynamics of the chromatin-associated protein MECP2 in vivo. Journal of Cell Science, 121(7), 1128-1137. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.016865
Raizis AM, Saleem M, MacKay R, & George PM. (2009) Spectrum of MECP2 mutations in New Zealand Rett syndrome patients. The New Zealand medical journal, 122(1296), 21-28. PMID: 19652677
Singh, J., Saxena, A., Christodoulou, J., & Ravine, D. (2008) MECP2 genomic structure and function: insights from ENCODE. Nucleic Acids Research, 36(19), 6035-6047. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn591
Yusufzai, Timur M., & Wolffe, Alan P. (2000) Functional consequences of Rett syndrome mutations on human MeCP2. Nucleic Acids Research, 28(21), 4172-4179. DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.21.4172
- May 31, 2011
- 05:11 PM
- 477 views
Autism Diagnoses Spread Through Social Networks
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
A recent analysis of California data on births since 1997 and use of that state's Department of Developmental Services shows a spatial pattern of autism incidence --- the closer a child lives to another autistic child, the likelier it is that that child will be diagnosed with autism, too. ... Read more »
Liu KY, King M, & Bearman PS. (2010) Social influence and the autism epidemic. AJS; American journal of sociology, 115(5), 1387-434. PMID: 20503647
- May 29, 2011
- 03:33 PM
- 603 views
Gene Expression in Autistic Brain Tissue
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Discussion of a recent study finding differences in amount of mRNA corresponding to two gene networks in autistic vs. control brain tissue samples. My focus is primarily on what they did and how they did it --- I mention, but do not spend a whole lot of time on, what they found.... Read more »
Irina Voineagu, Xinchen Wang, Patrick Johnston, Jennifer K. Lowe, Yuan Tian, Steve Horvath, Jonathan Mill, Rita M. Cantor, Benjamin J. Blencowe, & Daniel H. Geschwind. (2011) Transcriptomic analysis of autistic brain reveals convergent molecular pathology. Nature. info:/10.1038/nature10110
- May 27, 2011
- 08:42 PM
- 838 views
1 in 38?
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Discussion of a population-based South Korean study of the prevalence of autism... Read more »
Kim, Y., Leventhal, B., Koh, Y., Fombonne, E., Laska, E., Lim, E., Cheon, K., Kim, S., Kim, Y., Lee, H.... (2011) Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Total Population Sample. American Journal of Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10101532
- May 5, 2011
- 09:51 PM
- 916 views
Memento Mori: Thoughts of Death Can Subtly Bias People's Ideas about Human Origins
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Discussion of some psychological research into the emotional underpinnings of creationism... Read more »
Tracy, J., Hart, J., & Martens, J. (2011) Death and Science: The Existential Underpinnings of Belief in Intelligent Design and Discomfort with Evolution. PLoS ONE, 6(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017349
- April 21, 2011
- 10:56 PM
- 967 views
Poll Data on Vaccines Looks Contradictory, But Isn't
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Attempts to reconcile a Harris poll finding that only half of Americans don't think vaccines cause autism with CDC survey data finding that the large majority of Americans think vaccines are safe.... Read more »
Freed, G., Clark, S., Butchart, A., Singer, D., & Davis, M. (2011) Sources and Perceived Credibility of Vaccine-Safety Information for Parents. PEDIATRICS. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-1722P
Kennedy, A., Basket, M., & Sheedy, K. (2011) Vaccine Attitudes, Concerns, and Information Sources Reported by Parents of Young Children: Results From the 2009 HealthStyles Survey. PEDIATRICS. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-1722N
- April 18, 2011
- 02:04 PM
- 476 views
More on "The Geneticization of Autism"
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
A follow-up post to my earlier post on Kristin Bumiller's article "The Geneticization of Autism." This one focuses more on what I think she's wrong about.... Read more »
Bumiller, K. (2009) The Geneticization of Autism: From New Reproductive Technologies to the Conception of Genetic Normalcy. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 34(4), 875-899. DOI: 10.1086/597130
- April 16, 2011
- 07:54 PM
- 526 views
Making the Genes Fit: Genetic Explanations for Autism and Their Political Implications
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Political scientist Kristin Bumiller is interested in autism, not so much from a "What is autism?" standpoint as from a "How are we succeeding (or failing) at integrating these people into socety?" standpoint. In the article I look at in this post, she compares the public-policy implications of two competing theories of autism: that it's an inherited genetic condition, or that it can be triggered by environmental contaminants.... Read more »
Bumiller, K. (2009) The Geneticization of Autism: From New Reproductive Technologies to the Conception of Genetic Normalcy. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 34(4), 875-899. DOI: 10.1086/597130
- February 25, 2011
- 01:35 AM
- 757 views
Testosterone and Estrogen Have Opposite Effects on a Gene Thought to be Underexpressed in Autism
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Describes the regulation by steroid hormones of a hormone-dependent transcription factor, ROR-alpha, that enhances transcription of several key genes involved in lipid metabolism, brain development and regulating cell division. This gene is thought to be underexpressed in autistic people, based on two studies that I also discuss in the post.... Read more »
Hu, V., Frank, B., Heine, S., Lee, N., & Quackenbush, J. (2006) Gene expression profiling of lymphoblastoid cell lines from monozygotic twins discordant in severity of autism reveals differential regulation of neurologically relevant genes. BMC Genomics, 7(1), 118. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-7-118
Hu, V., Sarachana, T., Kim, K., Nguyen, A., Kulkarni, S., Steinberg, M., Luu, T., Lai, Y., & Lee, N. (2009) Gene expression profiling differentiates autism case-controls and phenotypic variants of autism spectrum disorders: evidence for circadian rhythm dysfunction in severe autism. Autism Research, 2(2), 78-97. DOI: 10.1002/aur.73
Hu, V., & Steinberg, M. (2009) Novel clustering of items from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised to define phenotypes within autism spectrum disorders. Autism Research, 2(2), 67-77. DOI: 10.1002/aur.72
Sarachana, T., Xu, M., Wu, R., & Hu, V. (2011) Sex Hormones in Autism: Androgens and Estrogens Differentially and Reciprocally Regulate RORA, a Novel Candidate Gene for Autism. PLoS ONE, 6(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017116
- January 31, 2011
- 02:31 PM
- 774 views
Too Many, Too Soon?
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Discusses Smith and Woods's (2010) re-analysis of Thompson et al.'s (2007) data on vaccine exposure in infancy and neuropsychological outcome in later childhood, with reference to the current popular idea that early-childhood vaccination schedules call for "too many, too soon."... Read more »
Smith, M., & Woods, C. (2010) On-time Vaccine Receipt in the First Year Does Not Adversely Affect Neuropsychological Outcomes. PEDIATRICS, 125(6), 1134-1141. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-2489
Thompson WW, Price C, Goodson B, Shay DK, Benson P, Hinrichsen VL, Lewis E, Eriksen E, Ray P, Marcy SM.... (2007) Early thimerosal exposure and neuropsychological outcomes at 7 to 10 years. The New England journal of medicine, 357(13), 1281-92. PMID: 17898097
- December 30, 2010
- 03:50 PM
- 813 views
Fetal Testosterone and Autistic Traits - Part V(a): More About Visuospatial Abilities
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Part of an ongoing series evaluating the evidence for Simon Baron-Cohen's "extreme male brain" theory of autism... Read more »
Auyeung, B., Baron-Cohen, S., Ashwin, E., Knickmeyer, R., Taylor, K., & Hackett, G. (2009) Fetal testosterone and autistic traits. British Journal of Psychology, 100(1), 1-22. DOI: 10.1348/000712608X311731
Dawson, M., Soulieres, I., Ann Gernsbacher, M., & Mottron, L. (2007) The Level and Nature of Autistic Intelligence. Psychological Science, 18(8), 657-662. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01954.x
Shah, A., & Frith, U. (1993) Why Do Autistic Individuals Show Superior Performance on the Block Design Task?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(8), 1351-1364. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb02095.x
- December 22, 2010
- 04:31 PM
- 603 views
Fetal Testosterone and Autistic Traits - Part V: Visuospatial Abilities
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Part of an ongoing series examining the empirical support for Simon Baron-Cohen's "extreme male brain" theory of autism... Read more »
Falter CM, Plaisted KC, & Davis G. (2008) Visuo-spatial processing in autism--testing the predictions of extreme male brain theory. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 38(3), 507-515. PMID: 17674175
Finegan, J., Niccols, G., & Sitarenios, G. (1992) Relations between prenatal testosterone levels and cognitive abilities at 4 years. Developmental Psychology, 28(6), 1075-1089. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.28.6.1075
- December 21, 2010
- 02:49 PM
- 819 views
Fetal Testosterone and Autistic Traits - Part IV: Verbal Abilities
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Part of an ongoing series examining the evidence for Simon Baron-Cohen's "extreme male brain" theory of autism... Read more »
Lutchmaya, S., Baron-Cohen, S., & Raggatt, P. (2001) Foetal testosterone and vocabulary size in 18- and 24-month-old infants. Infant Behavior and Development, 24(4), 418-424. DOI: 10.1016/S0163-6383(02)00087-5
- December 12, 2010
- 04:45 PM
- 547 views
Fetal Testosterone and Autistic Traits - Part III: Empathy
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Looks at two studies by Simon Baron-Cohen's research group that look for relationships between testosterone levels during gestation (as measured in mothers' amniotic fluid) and children's development of empathy. Empathy is assessed three ways: children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (which the parents answer about the children) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test), and by tracking children's use of mentalizing language in their narration of a wordless computer-animated short film.... Read more »
Chapman, E., Baron-Cohen, S., Auyeung, B., Knickmeyer, R., Taylor, K., & Hackett, G. (2006) Fetal testosterone and empathy: Evidence from the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test. Social Neuroscience, 1(2), 135-148. DOI: 10.1080/17470910600992239
KNICKMEYER, R., BARONCOHEN, S., RAGGATT, P., TAYLOR, K., & HACKETT, G. (2006) Fetal testosterone and empathy. Hormones and Behavior, 49(3), 282-292. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.08.010
- December 12, 2010
- 04:11 PM
- 387 views
What Is Systemizing?
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
A close look at the surprisingly elusive concept central to Simon Baron-Cohen's extreme male brain theory of autism... Read more »
Baron-Cohen, S. (2002) The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6(6), 248-254. DOI: 10.1016/S1364-6613(02)01904-6
Baron-Cohen, S., Richler, J., Bisarya, D., Gurunathan, N., & Wheelwright, S. (2003) The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 358(1430), 361-374. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2002.1206
- December 10, 2010
- 05:18 PM
- 896 views
Fetal Testosterone and Autistic Traits - Part II: Eye Contact
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Part of an ongoing series examining the empirical support for Simon Baron-Cohen's "extreme male brain" theory of autism... Read more »
Lutchmaya, S., Baron-Cohen, S., & Raggatt, P. (2002) Foetal testosterone and eye contact in 12-month-old human infants. Infant Behavior and Development, 25(3), 327-335. DOI: 10.1016/S0163-6383(02)00094-2
- November 18, 2010
- 11:40 PM
- 649 views
Autism-Related Gene Spotlight: CNTNAP2
by Lindsay in Autist's Corner
Describes a gene encoding a protein in the neurexin family, Caspr2, that's involved in myelination and distribution of ion channels along axons. Disruptions of this gene have been associated with autism, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, intellectual disability, schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders.... Read more »
Arking, D., Cutler, D., Brune, C., Teslovich, T., West, K., Ikeda, M., Rea, A., Guy, M., Lin, S., & Cook Jr., E. (2008) A Common Genetic Variant in the Neurexin Superfamily Member CNTNAP2 Increases Familial Risk of Autism. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 82(1), 160-164. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.09.015
Bakkaloglu, B., O'Roak, B., Louvi, A., Gupta, A., Abelson, J., Morgan, T., Chawarska, K., Klin, A., Ercan-Sencicek, A., & Stillman, A. (2008) Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis and Resequencing of Contactin Associated Protein-Like 2 in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 82(1), 165-173. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.09.017
Poliak S, Gollan L, Martinez R, Custer A, Einheber S, Salzer JL, Trimmer JS, Shrager P, & Peles E. (1999) Caspr2, a new member of the neurexin superfamily, is localized at the juxtaparanodes of myelinated axons and associates with K channels. Neuron, 24(4), 1037-47. PMID: 10624965
Poliak, S., & Peles, E. (2003) The local differentiation of myelinated axons at nodes of Ranvier. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 4(12), 968-980. DOI: 10.1038/nrn1253
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