Thursday November 8 2012 There are more than half a million
people with autism in the UK “Genetic mutation discovered in
people with autism,” The Daily Telegraph reports. The newspaper
goes on to say that this mutation “cuts communication between
brain cells to about one-tenth of normal levels” and offers “a
likely explanation” for the cognitive and behavioural
difficulties experienced by people with autism. This headline is
loosely based on recent research into the impact of a previously
discovered genetic mutation on the ability of brain cells to
transmit signals. The Telegraph speculated that misfiring
signals could cause the symptoms of autism. The study was
conducted using rat brain cells, and did not involve people with
autism directly. The researchers described the detailed
molecular processes that occur between brain cells when the
level of a specific protein is changed. Previous research had
discovered that mutations to the gene that controls this protein
occurred in people with some types of autism.