I read about a new study done on the possible relationship between mental activity and autism in The Washington Post today.

Here are some interesting snippets:

New research suggests that some cases of autism arise from defects in genes that can be turned on or off by mental activity, a finding that sheds light on the devastating condition and might eventually lead to strategies to treat it.

The study, done by a large international team and reported today in the journal Science, adds to the growing evidence that autism may result from problems in the immensely complicated process by which some networks of brain cells expand and many others die in the first few years after birth.

The study demonstrates that "environmental experiences and influences that shape postnatal brain development are not irrelevant," said Isabelle Rapin, a pediatric neurologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

The article also mentions the high incidence of autism:

Autism is one of the more urgent health problems of the 21st century -- and one of the more mystifying. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year reported that 1 in every 150 American children has an "autism spectrum disorder," which includes conditions from the severe and disabling to the mild and often-overlooked.

Some states have experienced huge increases. In California, the number of children getting services for autism tripled from 1987 to 1998 and then doubled between 1998 and 2002. In Minnesota, diagnosed autism increased from two cases per 1,000 schoolchildren in 1998 to 6.6 cases per 1,000 in 2002.

In most cases, the problems are apparent by age 3. In many, a normally developing child suddenly regresses, stops talking and becomes interested in only a few highly stereotyped activities.

You can read the entire article about the study on the possible link between mental activity and autism here.

What do you think about this new research?  Do you think environmental and life events can spur on autism?  I'd be very interested in hearing your opinions and perspectives.