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Article: Genetic and biological advances help unlock mysteries of mental retardation.
- Article from:
- The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX)
- Article date:
- August 30, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Dallas Morning News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Sue Goetinck Ambrose
DALLAS _ Scientists devote a lot of brainpower to figuring out how the brain works. They're also trying to solve something equally mysterious _ why, in cases of mental retardation, the brain doesn't work quite right.
The hundreds of known causes of mental retardation range from genetic abnormalities to toxic substances such as alcohol and lead. Still, for about a third of people with mental retardation _ defined as an IQ below 70 to 75 _ no cause has yet been found.
But new avenues of research based on advances in genetics, biology and cell science are helping brain scientists solve these mysteries.
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