Epilepsy And Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Five other gene disorder that contributes to autism are (1) "EN2 (Engrailed 2) involved in cerebellum development. (2) GABR (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid Receptor) regulates brain cell migration. (3) OXTR (Oxytocin Receptor) participating in the response to stress and social skills. (4) RELN (Reelin) involved in neuronal migration in the developing brain. (5) SLC6A4, a serotonin transporter gene” (Johnson, Giarelli, Lewis, & Rice, 2013). As a result of all the researches done several chromosomal loci have been shown to be linked to Autistic Spectrum disorder including those at 2q24-2q31, 7q22-7q31, 7q34-7q36, and 17q11-17q21. Structural chromosomal changes involving deletions and duplication at 7q11, 15q11-15q13, 17p11.2, 22q11.2, and 22q13 have also been associated with forms of autism. However, the most common chromosomal abnormalities currently associated with autism include the fragile X mutation, other sex chromosome abnormalities, and abnormalities of 15q11-q13. “Evidence has shown that duplications of 15q11–q13 have led to higher risks of Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental and cognitive deficits” (Flashner, Russo, Boileau, Leong, & Gallicano, 2013). Chromosome 15q11-q13.1 region is subject to genomic imprinting, which is an epigenetic process that results in monoallelic gene expression. Duplications lead to autism and are usually maternal in origin. Deletion of the maternal allele of chromosome 15q11-q13 cause Angelman syndrome (AS) a neurodevelopmental disorder

Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder: All actions and functions travel to the different parts of the brain much like electrical wiring. The “electricity” moves from one area or wired circuit through another by jumping and traveling from area to area much like electricity Due to abnormal electricity and “jumping” seizures can occur. Epilepsy is where these electoral abnormalities are reoccurring often causing many seizures. The Tonic-Clonic or Grand Mal seizures that CM has is from muscles tightening and relaxing very fast due to the abnormal jumping of electricity in the brain. P. 417

In the article Autism Society, Studies shown that autism caused by having a surplus of synapses, connections between brain cells. The surplus slowdown in the normal pruning process that occurs during childhood and adolescence brain development. In many families, there are patterns of autism or related disabilities that have a genetic basis. Children who have autism may have inherited, although researchers don’t know the direct cause of autism, they’re still investigating many numbers of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems.

With ever-increasing cases of pediatric epilepsy, studies detailing the etiology of epilepsy and its association with developmental delay are progressively

Epilepsy, also called a seizure disorder, is a disease that affects many people around the world. Epilepsy causes people to have epileptic seizures. This illness causes about 50,000 deaths each year and believe it or not, the harm that a person could inflict on themselves is more dangerous that the seizure itself.

A seizure is caused by a sudden burst of abnormal electrical and chemical activity in the brain. This activity temporarily interrupts normal brain function. A seizure can cause:

Before thorough medical research on epilepsy, it was thought to be a demonic entity causing the sudden movements. With scientific advancements, epilepsy can be characterized as a condition that affects the nervous system through a series of seizures. Within the brain presents abnormalities that cause convulsions throughout the body. Epilepsy can be broken down into two types and further specified by key symptoms the individual faces during an epileptic episode. There is no single cause for epilepsy; many factors such as genetics and traumatic injuries can trigger seizures, which can develop into a type of epilepsy syndrome. This condition cannot be cured, but can be treated through a series of medications after diagnosing the specific type of epilepsy. Individuals diagnosed with epilepsy will more than likely live with the condition throughout their entire life, leading them to change or add to their lifestyle to accommodate this condition. Charitable organization have benefited the epileptic community by raising awareness and conducting studies to find better treatments.

This paper plans to focus on autism spectrum disorder and how epigenetics contributes to the development of the disease. ASD is comorbid with other neurodevelopmental diseases including Rett Syndrome, Fragile X, Prader-Willi, and Angelman. These diseases have frequent, identifiable symptoms such as coloboma of the eye, heart defects, atresia of the nasal choanae, retardation of growth and or development, genital and or urinary abnormalities, and ear abnormalities and deafness. The definition of stochastic is to have a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analyzed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.

With the rate of autism being diagnosed on the rise, the amount of research and interest in the disorder has risen as well. Some research suggests that over the past two decades the occurrence of autism has increased from approximately 2-5 per 10,000 births to about 1-5 per 1,000 births (Acosta & Pearl, 2004; Fatemi et al., 2012). Still others report that the occurrence is as high as 1 in 150 kids (Amaral, Schumann, & Nordhal, 2008). Even though the spectrum of autistic disorders has been studied since 1943, there have still not been any consistent nor persuasive causes or markers, either biological or clinical, identified with autism and its range of disorders (Santangelo & Tsatsanis, 2005). In fact, even with all of the advancements in genetic research technology and the increasing interest in autism, researchers can still only account for approximately 5-15% of autistic cases (Rogers et al., 2013).

Epilepsy is an increasingly common brain disorder caused by abnormal electrical activity in various parts of the brain. It can result in intermittent episodes of convulsions, unconsciousness and sensory disturbance, among other symptoms (Epilepsy Action Australia, 2016).

Epilepsy is a growing disorder in the world. Many people tend to be unaware they have epilepsy due to no diagnosis or believing their seizures are something simple. The epilepsy community of Texas is in great need due to the increasing costs of medication and medical service, lack of programs for diagnosed children and insignificant increase in education concerning epilepsy. The Epilepsy Foundation of Texas (EFTX) and Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas (EFCST) were established in order to help patients with these types of problems. These two affiliates of the national Epilepsy Foundation serve the entire state of Texas. Both organizations have the same mission: the Epilepsy Foundation leads the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by unpredicted seizures. The seizures can affect any part of the body but usually makes its way back to the brain. Epilepsy is one of the oldest documented disorders. The invention of EEG, electroencephalogram, helped advance research in neurosurgery. The EEG helped to track abnormalities of electric activity in the brain in order to diagnose and track activity for people with epilepsy. The only symptom or characteristic of this disorder is epileptic seizures. The seizures are uncontrolled electric activity that usually occurs in the brain. When the brain is effected, other developmental complications are likely to ensue. Therefore, people with epilepsy commonly experience communication difficulties as well

Autism is a development disorder that is affected with communication verbal and non-verbal also behavior problems such as social interaction repeated behavior and none focus of interest. Autism is a brain disorder that affects the way the brain transmits information or uses information. Autism is a disorder that is found everywhere in the world. Autism usually occurs before the child is three years old and it continuous throughout their entire lifetime. There are different varieties of Autism these include extremely unusual, repetitive, self-injury, and aggressive behavior. Autism may be treatable but it is never completely cured. If diagnosed early with proper treatment a child with Autism can live a healthy full life. (The Gale encyclopedia

“The five primary disorders diagnosed under the autism spectrum are autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and the catch-all diagnosis of pervasive personality disorder not otherwise specified.” (Chittom) Autism and PDD, pervasive developmental disorders, can be involved with hyper kinetic and attentional disorders, OCD, specific and general learning problems, and developmental disorders or motor function. PDD’s are disorders in which autism is the prototypic disorder. Asperger’s and epilepsy are two other big disorders involved with autism. About one in three children affected with autism develop epilepsy. (Autism Spectrum) Epilepsy is more commonly found in a person with autism than a person without. Epilepsy is when a person has a seizure out of randomness. A child with autism may also have a little bit of Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s disorder are similar to those of the autism

This disorder dates back to the birth of human civilization. Magiorkinis (2013) explains the disorder can be dated back to the almost 2,000 B.C it as detected in ancient scriptures (p.1.) During the 18th century, science was associated with religion. Since the physical product of Epilepsy is seizures it was related to possessions and devilish works (p.1.) It was not until the 19th century that Epilepsy was recognized as a disorder after experimentation with organs and free from religion superstition. The disorder was simply seizures until 1783, when it was classified into different types based on the studies of William Culen and Samuel Tissot (p.1.) Even though the disorder was discovered, the origin of these seizures was still unknown which