Genetic Link Between Anorexia, Autism: Study

Poor Steven Pinker. Over and over he writes about the fallacy of the blank slate, but he must still wait patiently for every study which proves him right. Well, that's the scientific method and patience would be a prerequisite. Everything is biological--genetic or congenital, except head injuries, viruses and parents who hang you in the closet and burn you with cigarettes. And by that I just mean that given some good genetics and a decent womb experience, your problems will be tolerable except for really bad parenting which is doubtful based on the good genetics. Which makes me think of Dodson, I have no idea why, who believes that being gay is simply a choice and not biological because identical twins are not both gay. He makes that assertion based on an assumption that identical twins share identical DNA. Well, yeah, but they don't share identical placenta benefits. Considering that I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with it, I think it gets my goat on the basic misuse of science thing, because if we finally accept the biological basis for so many things we dislike and blame on nurture, we will have to be much less judgmental and just bless our lucky nature. Reply

I think there is no ONE cause for those maladies, I think it is a variety of factors, including but not limited to genetics, parenting, society, nutrition, enviromental factors..(natural or manmade)...and that the more definative the "experts" are the more likely they are inaccurate.....Skinner, Spock, and some other psych icons for example...some parts good some way off base Reply

Another women's disease neglected for 20 years...while they blamed "cold, distant mothers." Reply

The TIME article shares a striking statistic —15-20% of people suffering from anorexia also suffer from Aspberger’s syndrome. The additional links between anorexia and autism, such as perfectionism and rigidity, are very interesting to consider. In fact, with scientists now considering the presence of the same genetic predisposition in people with both anorexia and autism, we may be able to learn more about the role genetics play in both of these diseases, and how they’re connected. Additionally, treatment, prevention, and identification of eating disorders will greatly improve with more information on their genetic roots. The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt recently wrote a blog entry on the possible links between anorexia and autism. Check it out—we’d love to hear your thoughts! http://eatingdisorder.org/blog/2009/07/01/anorexia-autism/ Reply