Other studies have linked the problems to a decrease in social interaction synapses in mice, a symptom of autism. And seeds Cdk5 gene have been found in people with mental retardation.‘We found that Cdk5 is critical for the recruitment of blows to do its job for developing synapses,’ Li-Huei Tsai, PhD, says in a press release.

Tsai and colleagues report their findings today’s edition of Neuron.

Brain cells communicate across synapses. Thus the production of synapses is big business – and without enough Cdk5, this process can go wrong.

New research shows that certain brain protein may affect brain development – and, perhaps, push the brain in autism.

Tsai’s team learned that by studying Cdk5 in test tubes and mice. I do not study people, but the researchers write that their results may have implications for the study of autism.