Biology - Down's Syndrome Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Biology - mountains Syndrome - Term Paper ExampleDespite the alleged incurable nature of Downs syndrome, it is possible that the fields of pharmacology and practice of medicine have surely come up with ways to alleviate its symptoms as well as to be able to learn further about the disease. In fact, research through the medical and scientific databases on the latest scientific breakthroughs concerning Downs syndrome resulted in the discovery of five journal articles relating the most fresh breakthroughs on the disease.Review of LiteratureThe study of Bradeau et al. conducted in Paris, France in 2011 is entitle Specific targeting of the GABA-A receptor 5 subtype by a selective inverse booster restores cognitive deficits in Down syndrome mice. Based on the results of this study, one reason why thither is an altered brain function among individuals with Downs syndrome is that there is a chemical imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters. One inhibitory transmitter , GABA or gamma-aminobutyric acid seems to occur in large amounts in the nervous system of Downs syndrome patients and thus causes a relatively great amount of inhibition of certain cognitive functions among them. The study then utilize GABA-A antagonists in order to treat such chemical imbalance and the result was positive. As a result, the subjects of the experiment, Ts65Dn mice, or mice with Downs syndrome, demonstrated restored cognitive functions. The item chemical GABA-A antagonist, which is a ?5-subtype or ?5IA, was used to restore memory and instruction functions n rats. The ?5IA subtype of GABA-A antagonist is different from its other subtypes because it is non-convulsant, which means to say that the other subtypes whitethorn cause convulsions if tested on humans. Other subtypes also caused certain changes in the tissues of the brain, liver and kidney of the experimental mice, but ?5IA did not. The study of Braudeau et al. was particularly important to the medical socie ty as well as to families of Downs syndrome patients because this new particular chemical or drug GABA-A antagonist ?5IA subtype may actually improve learning and memory problems among patients suffering from Downs syndrome. Nonetheless, the drug has not yet been tested in humans for fear that although it may not cause convulsions in rats, it may still do so in humans. Moreover, the study was unique in itself because although it has been known that Downs syndrome patients suffer from imbalanced inhibition and fervor at the cellular level, there had been no non-convulsant drug that promised any good cure until now. Another study, the one conducted by Perluigi and Butterfield in Kentucky, USA in 2011 is entitled Oxidative Stress and Down Syndrome A Route toward Alzheimer-Like Dementia. This study involved the discovery of the physiological causes of the almost natural development of Alzheimers Disease among Downs syndrome patients as early as their middle age. Although there are alr eady genetic physical and mental abnormalities in a newborn boor with Downs syndrome, these pathological problems get worse as the patient gets older and thus may have a great chance of evolution into Alzheimers Disease later on in life. The study found out that the causes of such development were altered free radical metabolism and damage mitochondrial function (Perluigi & Butterfield, 2012). These two cellular processes,