Genetics vs. Environment

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There has to be a link between behavior and genes. If you take a kitten away from their mother before she has a chance to teach her anything, she will still hunt for sport, she will still purr when she is happy, she will still attempt to dig & bury when she uses the litter box.

Some of the behaviors need to be taught, for example said kitten will probably not eat the mouse she caught, etc. But all these are tied to instincts that are stored somewhere in the genes.

I've also seen 2 cats from the same family, who were both raised completely differently; both went "ferral" after adulthood and refused to return home. We still see one from time to time, somehow he manages to survive -10 farenheit winters.

On another note, I remember reading an article in a magazine in the dr.s office recently about a different kind of genes than what we typically think of; I believe these may not even be stored in DNA.(maybe someone here can correct me if I'm wrong.) The environment can actually change these genes. Test subjects in animals who have these genes which have been affected by their environment, are then adpoted to a different mother. You can still see the difference in behavior based on inheriting these genes, totally independent of the parents who raised them.

Last edited by b_edward on 17 Oct 2013, 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I suddenly feel the need to extol the virtues of PLOS:

http://www.plos.org

I think the Public Library of Science, and PLOS ONE in particular, is one of the finest achievements of our species.
It makes me so happy I feel I could burst from the pressure of the joy that fills me when I sample the infinite riches of this enterprise.

You could spend many hours looking through PLOS ONE's developmental and pediatric neurology articles, for instance:
http://www.plosone.org/browse/developme ... _neurology

By the time you had slaked your interest, new articles would be published. It is an awesome achievement. Yay humans!

Something current that might be interesting:

study on Xeroderma pigmentosum

If you follow the article, you can see a fascinating line of inquiry in which researchers are pursuing exactly the kind of link between DNA (in this case, damaged by a faulty DNA repair mechanism) and behavior (e.g., pseudobulbar and cerebellar speech disturbances) -- it really is an infinitely interesting and rich world to explore.

Janissy...

So in short, genes are responsible for the structure which enables human beings to laugh. How do genes create a sense of humor?

Genetics can explain how the boat was made and its purpose, but it’s not too sure who’s rowing the boat by the sounds of it, unless we are meant to believe the brain is rowing.

The next time someone makes me laugh then I will think to myself a crowd of genes did that, even though scientist can’t explain how babies can smile and laugh whilst still in their mother’s womb.

How does a baby know to smile if their brain has never received any information on how to make a smile before, where would neurons access this information inside the womb?

There was a time we were told by those amongst us who are suppose know better, that thoughts came from the heart and not the brain, can you believe that?

What environmental changes attribute to the possible cause of autism, that’s the answer I’m looking for? I’m not that interested in DNA and possibly maybe scenarios.

b.edward.

It sounds like the environment influences genes as well as behavior, I wonder which one has the greater impact on our lives, the environment or genetics? Do genes change to suit the environment, or does the environment change our genetics to suit us, a kind of product of the environment exchange taking place?

All good stuff.

What I mean is, Adamantium Rudywalsh Janissy, all good information. I love it. My cup is not overfilled and I can learn from all of these statements.

To clear things up. Autism is definitely a genetics thing and can not be caused by environmental factors. You guys are confusing autism with brain damage. It's easy to mistaken brain damage with autism because behaviors may be similar but medically. They are completely different. As far as what causes autism. They don't know if it's an added gene, the absents of a gene or the is a combination of genes and how they interact with each other.

This just seems so sad. DNA is beautiful! DNA is awesome!

Oh, wait.. not your special interest, then.

I realize you are probably perfectly happy without sampling the delights of the biochemistry that underlies all known life, but it still seems terribly, terribly sad to me.

Also:
I don't understand how you can say "I'm not that interested in DNA" and then ask:

Very interesting. You tell ppl are wrong asking for environmental factors and tell us it's genetic BUT addmit you don't know what and how many genes are involved?
I think we all agree here that you have autism since very early on, but also stressors while the mother is still pregnant or a difficult birth etc. can contribute to the development of autism. Eventhough I think genes play a certain role, even an important one. But this doesn't mean that there can't be other factors involved. Genes very often interact with the environment and most of the braindevelopment even takes part outside of the mothers womb.

Last edited by Raziel on 18 Oct 2013, 12:55 am, edited 3 times in total.

-- double post --

Last edited by Raziel on 18 Oct 2013, 12:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Is it possible a bad atmosphere (a change in the environment) is responsible for autism? What do scientist understand about an atmosphere being able to alter the developing mind of a child?

Everyone is aware of an atmosphere I hope. It doesn't seem to be something taken that serious, unless there is no way of testing how an atmosphere affects the mind.

First of all. It's important to understand that a autistic brain is a brain that is "wired differently" and is "not damaged". Its like loading Linux on a PC and saying that the computer is broken because it doesn't act like windows or run windows programs. There is nothing wrong with the hardware. It's just a different operating system.

Hi raziel, I’m so slow at typing on my computer, I use one finger (strange I know) comments are flying past me, you made a good point.

That's not quite, absolutely 100% correct.

Autism is an idiopathic disorder. That's the fancy-pants way of saying the cause(s) are unknown or cannot yet be proven with certainty.

But a number of different factors seem to play a role--some of these are environmental, some are genetic. Not one gene but thousands of genes are implicated in ASDs.

Another factor is the way that the environment impacts the way genetic instructions are processed, and by environment I mean not just the air, water and food at the macro scale, but the microscale environment: the chemical conditions within the cells which are constructing proteins following the instructions encoded in DNA.

People tend to think of genes a simple binary switches like light switches: trait on, trait off. But the picture is vastly more complicated. Cells are like large industrial plants and genes are the blueprints for their products. When environmental factors alter the way the plant is operating, it can be for many reasons: workers are on strike, road construction has slowed the supply chain, demand for a key part in another industry has skyrocketed and the plant is facing a shortage, criminals have robbed a nearby bank and are hiding in the plant, so police have shut down operations while teams of specialists sweep through the plant...

And even a complicated model like this is a gross oversimplification.

It really can be both genetic and environmental -- in fact the idea of genes doing anything without being in an environment makes no sense. It's a system.

This isn't the same thing as saying it's brain damage--just a different neurology. Neurotypical brains are no less the product of their genes and environment.

I do understand that everyone on this site has some form of autism or another mental condition. We have no idea of each other’s condition, all I ever wish for is to understand what causes these conditions, I’m here to be corrected in a nice manner hopefully.

I’m aware I don’t really know who anyone is on wrong planet, that’s why I respect everyone.


I might not be the head of nanotechnology, or have my head buried in a book full of neurons, but I can still work things out, I have my own idea’s the same as anyone, a little abstract, but all the same mine.

I certainly hope I wasn't rude, if so, please accept my sincere apologies.

I am just really, really enthusiastic about this.
I love microbiology. It has grown to eclipse astronomy as my leading interest, something I never thought possible.

I understand in an abstract way that other people don't find it as deeply thrilling as I do, but I don't really understand how that's possible. It's like saying that sugar doesn't taste sweet.

Again, my apologies if I said anything hurtful in expressing my love of deoxyribonucleic acid...

All non-human species are mainly influenced by genes, why with the ''precious'' humans aren't the same thing?
Autism obviously have strong genetic influences but i believe that ''environment'' exhibit only a some attributes that could reinforce the autistic traits, specially with people who are on ''enlarged autism spectrum''. One of the unadaptations of autistic people is that the society wasn't created to them but for social extroverted people. Introverted people also suffer by difficult adaptation.
Happen this way
All of us born with some genes
The environment could contribute to build an adaptative phenotype, like an adaptation mechanism. So, if you live on a hostile society your biology will relocate some inherited traits like paranoia, shyness or strong lack of empathy. If you live on a receptive environment, your biology will relocate some inherited traits like simpathy or altruism. In autistic people and within the spectrum, one of the ways to adapt is the tentatives of emulation of social conveniences.
Do not exist environment influences because all of own our changes happen inside us.