“Extra Gene Makes
Mice Manic”
Article: Mascarelli,
Amanda. "Extra Gene Makes Mice Manic: Scientific American." Extra Gene Makes Mice Manic:
Scientific American. Nature Magazine, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
In
a decade in which people, especially kids, are being diagnosed more than for
attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) it is very crucial to learn of
all the possible causes for neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, epilepsy,
and schizophrenia. One possible cause for cases of these particular
neuropsychiatric disorders can be traced to missing or altered of a gene called
SHANK3. SHANK3 is a gene that helps to make sure messages
are relayed properly between cells. In many cases, people with ADHD have a
wider region the SHANK3 gene. Huda Zoghbi, a neurogeneticist at
Baylor College of Medicine, wanted to obtain a better grasp on the role of
SHANK3, so he and his colleagues created mice with duplicate copies
of the gene. According to Zoghbi, “the mouse was remarkably hyperactive,
running around like mad.” He also reported that the mouse did not respond to
medications that are typically used to treat ADHD. After trying various
treatments, a drug called valproate remarkably reversed the psychiatric effects
the mouse was experiencing. These results prove that the excess SHANK3
proteins that cause some psychiatric disorders can be effectively treated,
furthering scientists diagnosis of a very common issue at this time.
Even
though these tests just show results of a mouse, the excess protein caused by a
mutated SHANK3 gene is a common cause for ADHD in people today.
Also, previously many cases of ADHD have inexplicably not responded to common
treatments. However, the discovery that valproate can reverse the effects of
ADHD when the root cause is a mutation of the SHANK3 gene is very
important to treating cases of ADHD. Along with ADHD, neuropsychiatric
conditions such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, and Asperger’s, three very serious conditions of the
mind, epilepsy causing seizures, schizophrenia causing very real
hallucinations, and Asperger’s syndrome resulting in extreme memory loss, can
be traced back to mutations of the SHANK3 gene. Hopefully the
diagnosis of the “manic mouse” will help to further scientists’ treatments of a
few very serious brain disorders that have greatly affected the lives of many
people.
This article shows many important
discoveries made and shows possible treatments for very dangerous conditions,
and even though it overall is a very strong article, there are still weaknesses
that, if fixed, could have helped this article present a more effective read.
First of all, the title does not closely describe what the article is about. It
infers that the article will be about a mouse that has an extra gene that makes
it act crazy, while it really is about a scientist using gene duplication on a
mouse to further knowledge on a few neuropsychiatric conditions. On the contrary,
the article does a great job explaining the causes and effects of a topic that
most people do not know too much about. The article is very informative about a
topic that is sometimes hard to fully grasp. Overall, I think this article was
an easy read and it effectively informs the reader of a hard topic to
understand.
One thing that I really liked about the review was how Tucker addressed one of the questions I had about the title of the article. It was one thing that had confused me and Tucker’s address of it in the critique paragraph made it easier to understand. Another thing I liked about Tucker’s review is how easy the review was to read and how nicely it flowed together. Unlike most reviews that read like a mob of facts, Tucker’s article had a very good flow to it that allowed the reader to understand the information easier. Finally, I really liked how the topic of this article because of the hands on experience I’ve had with people, and it really made me interested because of the close, personal connection.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I found very interesting about the article was the fact that ADHD is actually caused by extra proteins that help transfer messages. I found it very odd that people with ADHD actually had more of the SHANK3 gene, which is suppose to make sure messages are relayed correctly. Another thing that surprised me is that the mouse that was tested didn’t respond to the normal drugs used to help people with ADHD. It just seems strange that the same medicines would not have an effect. It makes me wonder whether or not the medicines used actually do help people with their ADHD.
One thing I would suggest to the author of this review is to add what causes ADHD. I have always been confused about what actually causes the ADHD to appear in a person, is it genetics?