Scientists pinpoint how a single genetic mutation causes autism

Scientists pinpoint how a single genetic mutation causes autism: Published today in the journal Cell, the research shows that an enzyme called UBE3A can be switched off when a phosphate molecule is tacked onto UBE3A. In neurons and during normal brain development, this switch can be turned off and on, leading to tight regulation of UBE3A. But a research team led by Mark Zylka, PhD, associate professor of cell biology and physiology, found that an autism-linked mutation destroys this regulatory switch. Destruction of the switch creates an enzyme that cannot be turned off. As a result, UBE3A becomes hyperactive and drives abnormal brain development and autism.

Rep Begs Congress: Investigate Vaccine-Autism Link Coverup

Rep Begs Congress: Investigate Vaccine-Autism Link Coverup: Last summer, a senior epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control, admitted that he had helped the CDC hide data from a study that linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. Although the official study said no link was found, Dr. William Thompson said the study actually found that giving a child the vaccine before the age of 36 months increased the risk of autism by 69 percent, and giving it to an African-American child increased the risk of autism by 240 percent.