Now these children are just getting used to being considered normal – just special. They are quite successful in integrating into society if they are dealt with. But still, some deviations in cognitive functions remain. These deviations are caused by chromosomal abnormalities. And scientists have found a way to correct these violations.
Down syndrome occurs when the fetus inherits (more often from the mother) an additional 21st chromosome or a fragment of it. This chromosome is called OLIG2 – it is she who changes the development of the child. At the American University of Rutgers, a model of the brain was grown using cells obtained from patients with Down syndrome. And they found out that the extra chromosome produces neurons that affect the inhibitory processes in the brain.
“Disorders in fetal development can occur due to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in brain cells. If we understand the mechanism that underlies this imbalance, we will find a way to influence the cause of the deviation. The OLIG2 genome is an excellent target for therapeutic intervention. When properly manipulated, it can prevent the abnormal development of the embryo, ”Peng Jiang, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, told The Mirror.
In other words, if you carry out intrauterine intervention and eliminate the ill-fated genome, then the child will be born absolutely healthy. Now this is only possible with the IVF procedure.
Determining whether a child will have Down syndrome has already been learned with fairly high accuracy during the screenings that every pregnant woman undergoes. Recall that the risk that a child will develop Down syndrome depends on many factors, but largely depends on the age of the mother. If the probability that a 20-year-old girl will have a baby with genetic abnormalities is 1 in 1500, then at 40 this probability will be already 1 in 100.