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Researchers say the lost protein had opposite effects on the neurotransmitters because GABA is fast acting and quickly released, so interfering with its action decreases signaling, while dopamine's signaling is longer-acting, so impairing its action increases its release. Dopamine is a well-known hormonal stimulant, highly touted for producing soothing, pleasing sensations.Īmong the researchers' key findings was that in Mohawk-coiffed mice, reduced Cntnap4 production led to depressed GABA signaling and overstimulation with dopamine.
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It not only helps control brain impulses, but also helps regulate muscle tone. GABA, short for gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Both are so-called neurotransmitters, chemical signals released from one nerve cell to the next to stimulate similar sensations throughout the body. Researchers found that knocking out Cntnap4 affected two highly specialized chemical messengers in the brain, GABA and dopamine. This protein had been found in earlier studies in specialized brain cells, known as interneurons, in people with a history of autism.
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In the study, to be published in the journal Nature online May 25, researchers knocked out production in mice of a protein called Cntnap4. The findings, says senior study investigator Gordon Fishell, PhD, the Julius Raynes Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone, could with additional testing in humans lead to new treatments for some autism, assuming the pathways' effects as seen in mice are reversible. Now and for what NYU Langone researchers believe to be the first time, an autistic motor behavior has been traced to specific biological pathways that are genetically determined. People with autism, the researchers point out, exhibit noticeably dysfunctional behaviors, such as withdrawal, and stereotypical, repetitive movements, including constant hand-flapping, or rocking. Researchers say they knew instantly they were on to something, as the telltale overgrooming - a repetitive motor behavior - had been linked in other experiments in mice to the brain condition that prevents children from developing normal social, behavioral, cognitive, and motor skills.
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As rare, they add, as finding mice with Mohawk-like hairstyles.īut both events happened in a lab at NYU Langone Medical Center, months after an international team of neuroscientists bred hundreds of mice with a suspect genetic mutation tied to autism spectrum disorders.Īlmost all the grown mice, the NYU Langone team observed, had sideways,"overgroomed" hair with a highly stylized center hairline between their ears and hardly a tuft elsewhere. The database of Provider information which drives WebMD Provider Directory does not contain sufficient information with which to verify Provider credentials under the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) of the Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC).īy using the WebMD Provider Directory, you agree to these Terms and Conditions."Aha" moments are rare in medical research, scientists say. The use of WebMD Provider Directory by any entity or individual to verify the credentials of Providers is prohibited. WebMD shall in no event be liable to you or to anyone for any decision made or action taken by you in the reliance on information provided in the Provider Directory. You assume full responsibility for the communications with any Provider you contact through the Provider Directory. Without limiting the foregoing, WebMD does not warrant or represent that the Provider Directory or any part thereof is accurate or complete. WebMD disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for particular purpose. The Provider Directory is provided on an "AS-IS" basis. You are prohibited from using, downloading, republishing, selling, duplicating, or "scraping" for commercial or any other purpose whatsoever, the Provider Directory or any of the data listings or other information contained therein, in whole or in part, in any medium whatsoever. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers.