By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

A team of researchers at Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) has found new clues in understanding the development process for autism, a brain disorder that impairs social interaction and communication skills.

Kim Joung-Hun, a life sciences professor at Postech, and his research team have found a brain mechanism through which the disorder is created. The new finding was published this week by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Kim and his team have found that a shortage of protein called ``neuroligin" secreted by amygdala may lead to the brain disorder. Amygdala is an almond-shaped structure in the brain, involved in the generation of emotions and memories.

The Postech research team said the shortage of neuroligin can interfere with normal activities between neurons and their synapses, leading to the onset of autism.

``Neuroligin-1 is a potent trigger for the de novo formation of synaptic connections, and it has recently been suggested that it is required for the maturation of functionally competent excitatory synapses," according to the findings.

The research team manipulated brain chemicals of laboratory mice to mimic this condition. When laboratory mice no longer produced neuroligin protein in their brains, their neuron synapses' functional speed and adaptability dropped markedly. Such deterioration in brain synapses leads to autistic symptoms. This is reportedly the first time that a link between neuroligin protein and autism has been demonstrated.

The research team says the finding will help further the understanding of autistic development in human brains and in developing possible treatments for the disorder.

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr