All articles tagged with #intellectual disability
Byron Black was executed in Tennessee after a legal battle over his implanted heart device, which raised ethical concerns about his suffering during lethal injection, especially given his intellectual disability and health issues. The courts ultimately allowed the execution to proceed despite these complexities.
Researchers have identified a single non-coding gene, RNU4-2, linked to a disorder causing intellectual disability, affecting about one in 20,000 young people. The discovery, published in Nature Medicine, could lead to new diagnostic methods, providing answers and support to affected families. The disorder includes symptoms like short stature, small heads, seizures, and low muscle mass. Further research is needed to understand how the mutation causes the disorder and to develop treatments.
Researchers have identified a non-coding gene associated with intellectual disabilities, which encodes an RNA molecule part of the spliceosome complex. This discovery, based on whole genome sequencing data, highlights the importance of looking beyond protein-coding genes to understand genetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders.
A new study published in Nature Medicine identifies mutations in the RNU4-2 gene as a likely cause of many unexplained cases of intellectual disability. The gene, crucial for gene splicing, when mutated, can disrupt brain development, leading to intellectual disabilities. The findings could help update genetic tests and provide diagnoses for many families. The study estimates the condition affects up to 1 in 20,000 young people, though its prevalence in older adults is unknown. Researchers emphasize the significance of the discovery, though treatment options remain distant.
A new study analyzing data of over 2.4 million children born in Sweden from 1995 to 2019 found no link between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability among children. The researchers concluded that the developmental disorders may be associated with other causes, and a sibling control analysis further supported the absence of a link between acetaminophen and the disorders, suggesting a "noncausal association."
Georgia executed Willie James Pye, its first execution in over four years, for the 1993 murder of his ex-girlfriend. Despite legal appeals citing concerns over the state's readiness to resume executions post-Covid and Pye's intellectual disability, the supreme court rejected the appeal. Pye's lawyers argued that his court-appointed attorney had failed to present evidence of his intellectual disability and troubled childhood. Pye was convicted of forcing his way into his ex-girlfriend's home, raping her, and then shooting her. This execution marks the 54th lethal injection in Georgia since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, with 35 men and one woman currently under death sentence in the state.
Georgia is set to execute death row inmate Willie Pye, despite his attorneys' claims of intellectual disability and a troubled upbringing that were not presented at trial. The parole board denied clemency, but Pye still has pending litigation that could potentially halt his execution. If the execution proceeds, it would be Georgia's first since January 2020. Pye was convicted of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary, and rape in the 1993 killing of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. His clemency petition argues for a life sentence due to ineffective assistance of his trial attorney, who was responsible for numerous felony cases at the same time.
Georgia is set to execute Willie James Pye, convicted of killing his former girlfriend in 1993, despite his lawyers' claims that he is intellectually disabled with an IQ of 68. The Georgia Parole Board rejected his bid for clemency, and Pye's lawyers have argued that his trial was flawed and that he suffered from extreme poverty and neglect in his upbringing. Pye's co-defendant, Chester Adams, received life sentences, while Pye is scheduled to be the first person executed in Georgia since January 2020.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1 in 10 children in the United States have been diagnosed with a developmental disability, such as autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability. The prevalence of these conditions has been steadily increasing, with boys being more affected than girls. While rates of intellectual disability and autism did not significantly increase from 2019 to 2021, the category of "other developmental delay" saw a significant increase. The report suggests that improvements in diagnosing and treating children, as well as increased awareness and screening efforts, may contribute to the rise in diagnoses.
Lucy Landman, a one-year-old baby from California, has been diagnosed with Mabry Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects just 30 people in the world. The condition causes intellectual disability, difficulty in walking and talking, and a decline in development. Lucy's parents are now fundraising for $2.5 million to develop a cure for the condition using gene therapy. The treatment involves giving Lucy a functional copy of the PGAP3 gene, which is responsible for the condition. There is currently no cure for Mabry Syndrome, and most patients die as children.