Autism Blog - Autism: Is it all about bigger brains? « Left Brain/Right Brain - 0 views
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in light of the increased cranial volumn and minicolumnar density in autism, more recent studies have begun targeting certain proteins and steroids called Growth Factors, which are in part intimately involved in neocortical expansion.
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Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF or FGF2) has particularly important implications in autism given its involvement in prolonging the period of cell division of the number of undifferentiated radial glial cells (cortical stem cells) which determine the total number of eventual minicolumns: the longer these radial glial divide, the greater the number of minicolumns, like that seen in autism.
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It’s fascinating to think that while autism can undoubtedly provide for its share of handicap, these foundational elements may be “abnormal” only in the sense that they’re extremes of those things which make us most human.
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Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF or FGF2) has particularly important implications in autism given its involvement in prolonging the period of cell division of the number of undifferentiated radial glial cells (cortical stem cells) which determine the total number of eventual minicolumns: the longer these radial glial divide, the greater the number of minicolumns, like that seen in autism.