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> In patients with schizophrenia, a variation in a single position in the DNA sequence marks too many synapses for removal and that pruning goes out of control.

> In patients with schizophrenia, a variation in a single position in the DNA sequence marks too many synapses for removal and that pruning goes out of control. The result is an abnormal loss of gray matter. I find this to be a terrifying thought. Just the idea that I have some code inside me that's marking synapses for removal, and then they get removed. Those are my memories! But I'm very excited about this. I'm not a geneticist by any means, but I hope the answer is as simple as replacing this gene with CRISPR.

derrickdirge 11y ago
>Those are my memories! Well, they fell out of scope.
astazangasta 11y ago
CRISPR won't help for this, it is too imprecise for gene therapy.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 11y ago
  That is incorrect: off-target activity is virtually non-existent in CRISPR-CAS9 mediated transformation. Targeting oligonucleotides can be deliberately designed to be less specific, thereby targeting a family of sequences, which is very desirable for e.g. knocking down a gene family. However, specificity is trivial to achieve when desired.
  - astazangasta 11y ago
    Precision has two components: specificity and sensitivity. While recent versions of CRISPR make it possible to avoid off-target sequences, its impossible to guarantee cutting. Also, while you can make a cut, engineering a specific substitution is still largely a crap shoot. Not suitable for gene therapy.
qb45 11y ago
> Just the idea that I have some code inside me that's marking synapses for removal, and then they get removed. Or maybe your whole mind would be just random noise without such process.
KingMob 11y ago
Actually, the brain is designed to prune. You're born with way more neurons than you need, and you remove the ones that don't wire up properly as you grow. In fact, insufficient pruning probably leads to different diseases. (Was a neuroscientist, but not a neurologist, so I'm guessing epilepsy... and maybe some forms of autism?)

derrickdirge 11y ago

>Those are my memories! Well, they fell out of scope.

astazangasta 11y ago

CRISPR won't help for this, it is too imprecise for gene therapy.

Obi_Juan_Kenobi 11y ago
That is incorrect: off-target activity is virtually non-existent in CRISPR-CAS9 mediated transformation. Targeting oligonucleotides can be deliberately designed to be less specific, thereby targeting a family of sequences, which is very desirable for e.g. knocking down a gene family. However, specificity is trivial to achieve when desired.
- astazangasta 11y ago
  Precision has two components: specificity and sensitivity. While recent versions of CRISPR make it possible to avoid off-target sequences, its impossible to guarantee cutting. Also, while you can make a cut, engineering a specific substitution is still largely a crap shoot. Not suitable for gene therapy.

qb45 11y ago

> Just the idea that I have some code inside me that's marking synapses for removal, and then they get removed. Or maybe your whole mind would be just random noise without such process.

KingMob 11y ago

Actually, the brain is designed to prune. You're born with way more neurons than you need, and you remove the ones that don't wire up properly as you grow. In fact, insufficient pruning probably leads to different diseases. (Was a neuroscientist, but not a neurologist, so I'm guessing epilepsy... and maybe some forms of autism?)