KQED News Mind/Shift – Jon Hamilton
“Scientists have found a clue to how autism spectrum disorder disrupts the brain’s information highways. The problem involves cells that help keep the traffic of signals moving smoothly through brain circuits, a team reported Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The team found that in both mouse and human brains affected by autism, there’s an abnormality in cells that produce a substance called myelin. That’s a problem because myelin provides the “insulation” for brain circuits, allowing them to quickly and reliably carry electrical signals from one area to another. And having either too little or too much of this myelin coating can result in a wide range of neurological problems.” (more)