Autism 'proteins' looked at as a guide to many brain cells

Autism is consistently receiving media attention recently, and for good reason. Recent CDC numbers have estimated that one in 150 kids now has autism, although the rise can't be tied to new cases versus more recent identification tools for diagnoses.

Regardless, the search for autism causes continues. Two brain cell proteins, called neuroligin-1 and neuroligin-2, have been found recently to strengthen and balance nerve cell connections. Sound important? It is, according to a team studying autism at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

It was found that one of these proteins excite nerve cells while the other slows down nerve cell activity. As such, mutations and changes in these proteins is being correlated to certain forms of autism, and a deeper understanding of how these proteins react normally and abnormally could be essential to seeing why some kids end up with autistic qualities (or more).