Theresa Strong's blog

Several recent studies have begun to look more carefully at the causes of death in PWS, particularly in cases where death was sudden and/or unexpected. A review of 64 cases of death in children with PWS noted a high occurrence of respiratory infections in cases with fatal outcomes [Tauber 2008 , and references therein]. In addition, there have previously been suggestions in the medical literature that people with PWS may have unrecognized deficiencies in the adrenal system [Stevenson 2003 , and references therein]. Since a properly functioning adrenal system is critical during times of acute illness, some authors have speculated that deficiencies in the adrenal system may contribute to unexpected deaths in PWS. A new study begins to address the function of the adrenal system in individuals with PWS, and suggests that this is an area deserving of more attention.
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[Contributed by Mayim Bialik, Ph.D.]   The Sentence Completion and Three Wishes Tasks: One of the great challenges in studies of individuals with PWS and others with cognitive or linguis[ Read more . . . ]

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Individuals with PWS are, in many ways, perfect subjects for studying the effectiveness of candidate obesity drugs.[ Read more . . . ]

A new article sheds a little bit of light on the latest player in obesity – the FTO gene (the fat-mass and obesity-associated gene).[ Read more . . . ]

The 6th Annual International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organization (IPWSO) Conference was held in Romania in June 2007. The research abstracts from the conference are available online at the Asociación Madrileña para el Síndrome de Prader-Willi (AMSPW) website.[ Read more . . . ]

Zebrafish are hot - these little fish are all the rage in the research world these days. They develop very quickly (embryo to fish in just a couple of days) and scientists are developing better ways to manipulate their genes and use them to study human disorders. Obviously, fish are pretty different than humans, but surprisingly many pathways are well conserved across the species.[ Read more . . . ]

It’s not often that words such as “rescue of neurological deficits” “therapy for cognitive impairment” and “reversal of neurological defects” are used in the titles of papers studying genetic disorders like Angelman, Down, and Rett syndromes – but a recent trio of papers does just that, offering hope for all those with complex neurodevelopmental disorders.[ Read more . . . ]

Since it has been suggested by some studies in the medical literature that increased height is associated with higher IQ, one might think that rapid ‘catch up’ growth after a period of nutrition restriction would lead to an improved outcome. A recent study suggests that just the opposite may be true (at least if you’re a bird..).[ Read more . . . ]

One of the most troubling features of PWS is the high risk of mental illness in adults with the syndrome. Although a considerable amount has been written on obsessive-compulsive traits, stubbornness and maladaptive behaviors associated with PWS, less is known about the incidence and course of mental illness.[ Read more . . . ]