Source: BBC News) - A team of US and UK researchers has identified a gene responsible for a group of rare genetic childhood neurological disorders.
The scientists examined families affected by two genetic disorders, infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). Both disorders are characterized by an abnormal build-up of iron in the brain which causes parts of neurons to swell, interrupting the cell-to-cell communication.
After studying 75 genes, they identified the mutations in a single gene that lead to a build up of iron. These mutations are also seen in conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
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