This feeds so much into my confirmation bias and I’m captivated by it.
Like how it’s a trope at this point that people with ADHD also demonstrate some behaviors associated with autism.
I want to see the Venn diagram of people with these diseases overlaid onto the Venn diagram of their genetic tests for the identified mutations.
Do certain mutations cluster to certain diseases?!
And that root cause? The BRAIN.
All jokes aside, this sort of research forms the backbone of modern medicine. It’s also at risk with the Trump administration targeting federal research grants from the NIH.
For those of us in the US, call and email your representatives, join protests, and get organized.
TLDR: So this is saying there are some genetic variants that cause cascading protein malformations in developing brains, which leads to a higher risk of developing certain psychiatric disorders, including autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia.
It doesn’t sound super surprising that different malformations in the brain even though caused by the same underlying condition can result in very varied effects on behavior.
Good stuff though. (The research)
Here’s the list: autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia.
I don’t know if a pleiotropic relationship between 109 different genes can be called “the same root cause”. Maybe “a large complex of interacting causes”?
scientists need to get their act together. chop chop, fix my stupid brain already