Defects in brain cell migration linked to mental retardation
A rare, inherited form of mental retardation has led
scientists at the School of Medicine to
three important “travel agents” at work in the developing brain. The agents make it possible for brain neurons to travel
from where they are born to other brain regions where they will
permanently reside.
Fragile X makes brain cells talk too much
The most common inherited form of mental retardation
and autism, fragile X syndrome, turns some brain cells into
chatterboxes, scientists at the School of Medicine report. The extra chatter may make it harder for brain cells to identify and attend to important signals, potentially establishing a parallel at the cellular level to the attention problems seen in autism.