Down's syndrome: a genetic disorder in biobehavioral perspective.
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.
Nadel
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Department of Psychology and ARL Neural Systems, Memory and Ageing Division, Univeristy of Arizona, Tuscon, Arizona 85721, USA. nadel@u.arizona.edu
D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 / Q000235:genetics; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology