Open AccessDown's syndrome: a genetic disorder in biobehavioral perspective
Author(s) -
Nadel L.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
genes, brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1601-183X
pISSN - 1601-1848
DOI - 10.1034/j.1601-183x.2003.00026.x
Subject(s) - abnormality , perspective (graphical) , cognition , prefrontal cortex , psychology , neuroscience , genetic disorder , down syndrome , chromosomal abnormality , cognitive psychology , psychiatry , medicine , biology , genetics , computer science , pathology , disease , artificial intelligence , karyotype , chromosome , gene
Down's syndrome is a genetic disorder that can lead to mental retardation of varying degrees. How this chromosomal abnormality causes mental retardation remains an open question. This paper reviews what is currently known about the neural and cognitive features of Down's syndrome, noting the growing evidence of disproportionate impairment of specific systems such as the hippocampal formation, the prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. The development of animal models of these defects offers a way of ultimately connecting the genetic disorder to its cognitive consequences.