- About Us - Global Vision - News and Events - Ways to Help
Genetic Causes of Mental Retardation What is genetics? Genetics
is "the science that studies the principles and mechanics of
heredity, or the means by which traits are passed from parents
to offspring" (Glanze, 1996). Through genetics a number of
specific disorders have been identified as being genetically
caused. One example is fragile X syndrome, a common genetic
cause of mental retardation, which is caused by the presence of
a single non-working gene (called the FMR-1 gene) on a child's X
chromosome. Genetics originated in the mid-19th century when
Gregor Mendel discovered over a ten year period of experimenting
with pea plants that certain traits are inherited. His
discoveries provided the foundation for the science of genetics.
Mendel's findings continue to spur the work and hopes of
scientists to uncover the mystery behind how our genes work and
what they can reveal to us about the possibility of having
certain diseases and conditions. The scie