What
Hope Does Research Offer?
Research
continues to reveal how
the brain-the control center for thought,
language, feelings, and behavior-carries
out its functions. The National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
funds scientists at centers across
the Nation who are exploring how the
brain develops, transmits its signals,
integrates input from the senses,
and translates all this into thoughts
and behavior. In recognition of growing
scientific gains in brain research,
the President and Congress have officially
designated the 1990s as the "Decade
of the Brain."
There
are new research initiatives at NIH
sponsored by NIMH, NICHD, NINDS, and
NIDCD. As a result, today as never
before, investigators from various
scientific disciplines are joining
forces to unlock the mysteries of
the brain. Perspective gained from
research into the genetic, biochemical,
physiological, and psychological aspects
of autism may provide a more complete
view of the disorder.
Every
day, NIH-sponsored researchers are
learning more about how the brain
develops normally and what can go
wrong in the process. Already, for
example, scientists have discovered
evidence suggesting that in autism,
brain development slows at some point
before week 30 of pregnancy.
Scientists
now also have tools and techniques
that allow them to examine the brain
in ways that were unthought of just
a few years ago. New imaging techniques
that show the living brain in action
permit scientists to observe with
surprising clarity how the brain changes
as an individual performs mental tasks,
moves, or speaks. Such techniques
open windows to the brain, allowing
scientists to learn which brain regions
are engaged in particular tasks.
In
addition, recent scientific advances
are permitting scientists to break
new ground in researching the role
of heredity in autism. Using sophisticated
statistical methods along with gene
splicing-a technique that enables
scientists to manipulate the microscopic
bits of genetic code-investigators
sponsored by NIH and other institutions
are searching for abnormal genes that
may be involved in autism. The ability
to identify irregular genes-or the
factors that make a gene unstable-may
lead to earlier diagnoses. Meanwhile,
scientists are working to determine
if there is a genetic link between
autism and
other brain disorders commonly associated
with it, such as Tourette Disorder
and Tuberous Sclerosis. New insights
into the genetic transmission of these
disorders, along with newly gained
knowledge of normal and abnormal brain
development should provide important
clues to the causes of autism.
A
key to developing our understanding
of the human brain is research involving
animals. Like humans, other primates,
such as chimpanzees, apes, and monkeys,
have emotions, form attachments, and
develop higher-level thought processes.
For this reason, studies of their
brain functions and behavior shed
light on human development. Animal
studies have proven invaluable in
learning how disruptions to the developing
brain affect behavior, sensory perceptions,
and mental development and have led
to a better understanding of autism.
Ultimately,
the results of NIMH's extensive research
program may translate into better
lives for people with autism. As we
get closer to understanding the brain,
we approach a day when we may be able
to diagnose very young children and
provide effective treatment earlier
in the child's development. As data
accumulate on the brain chemicals
involved in autism, we get closer
to developing medications that reduce
or reverse imbalances.
Someday,
we may even have the ability to prevent
the disorder. Perhaps researchers
will learn to identify children at
risk for autism at birth, allowing
doctors and other health care professionals
to provide preventive therapy before
symptoms
ever develop. Or, as scientists learn
more about the genetic transmission
of autism, they may be able to replace
any defective genes before the infant
is even born.
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