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Relationship Between Autism And Epigenetics

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One of the most intriguing medical mysteries today is autism, research in this area has exploded within the past decade. Medical professionals and other researchers are looking at a variety of different areas that might provide important insight on mechanisms that may cause this disorder. Epigenetics is the study of how various changes may arise from gene expression rather than alterations in the genetic code itself. The connection between epigenetics and autism is best articulated by Dr. Alycia Halladay, the director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks. Dr. Halladay explains, “because epigenetics gives us a way to look at the interaction between genes and environment, it holds great potential for identifying ways to prevent or reduce the …show more content…
So the question becomes figuring out how to identify potential ways to find valuable connections between gene expression and environmental factors that may drive risks of autism.
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Autism research can broadly be defined into two major subset or categories of research, social science and biomedicine. The biomedical aspect of autism research “focuses on autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder” looking at aspects like etiology, trajectory of development, genetics, and much more (Solomon, 2010). Genetics have been an area of increased research for a few decades now. One of the greatest accomplishments in the field of genetics is the Human Genome Project, started in 1990 and taking twenty-three years to complete - the Human Genome project that sequenced and map all the genes of human beings (Human Genome Project, 2015). Knowing the complete gene sequence has been beneficial to guide the development and potential causes of certain disorders. The exact genes or gene sequences that affect autism

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