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Is autism neurodegenerative?

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kanashimoo
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06 Jan 2014, 4:20 pm

Also, what does neurodegenerative mean?


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Specialisterne is an international nonprofit which has the singular goal of enabling 1 million jobs for people on spectrum. DO check them out! I conducted an interview on national radio regarding my experiences with Specialisterne and SAP.

On a more local level, Focus Professional Services is a consulting organization based in Vancouver, Canada that attempts to hire people on the spectrum to act as IT consultants. They're a very new organization.

For those of us in Vancouver, there is an Aspies Meetup group; pm me if you're interested. I look forward to seeing anyone in Vancouver either in person or in a larger gathering!


Willard
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06 Jan 2014, 4:34 pm

Neurodegenerative would mean that it caused the brain to "degenerate," or to become less and less functional over time, until eventually we would become drooling vegetables who couldn't walk, talk, or dress and bathe ourselves, much like Alzheimer's.

So no, autism is not degenerative. Although I do feel that our "High Functionality" does experience an arc over the course of our lives, peaking in adulthood around 30 to 40, and then gradually dropping back to a more adolescent level as we age.

But maybe that's just me. :lol:



ouroborosUK
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06 Jan 2014, 4:34 pm

kanashimoo wrote:
Also, what does neurodegenerative mean?


According to Wikipedia :

Wikipedia wrote:
Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.


Autism really doesn't seem to fit that definition. There are functional (and, according to some neuroscientist, structural) differences between the autistic and neurotypical brains, but they are present from birth (or at least small childhood) and persist until death. To my knowldge, there is no notion of "progressive loss" or "death of neurons".


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ouroboros

A bit obsessed with vocabulary, semantics and using the right words. Sorry if it is a concern. It's the way I think, I am not hair-splitting or attacking you.


Soliloquist
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06 Jan 2014, 5:26 pm

Fragile X is neurodegenerative.

Quote:
Fragile X syndrome is the leading known genetic cause of autism, accounting for about 5% of cases. This finding has resulted in screening for FMR1 mutation to be considered mandatory in children diagnosed with autism.


Quote:
From their 40s onward, males with FXS begin developing progressively more severe problems in performing tasks that require the central executive of working memory. Working memory involves the temporary storage of information 'in mind', while processing the same or other information. Phonological memory (or verbal working memory) deteriorates with age in males, while visual-spatial memory is not found to be directly related to age. Males often experience an impairment in the functioning of the phonological loop. The CGG length is significantly correlated with central executive and the visual–spatial memory. However, in a premutation individual, CGG length is only significantly correlated with the central executive, not with either phonological memory or visual–spatial memory.


Quote:
Individuals who are carriers of premutation alleles are at risk for developing fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It is seen in approximately half of male carriers over the age of 70, while penetrance in females is lower. Typically, onset of tremor occurs in the sixth decade of life, with subsequent progression to ataxia (loss of coordination) and gradual cognitive decline.


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