title: Calcineurin activity in children with Mental handicap.
abstract: Calcineurin, a Ca(2+)-Calmodulin dependent protein phosphatase, is important for Ca(2+) mediated signal transduction. The main objective of this study was to examine the potential role of calcineurin in idiopathic mental handicap. Calcineurin levels were estimated in 20 children in the age group of 5-16 years with idiopathic mental handicap attending the Special. Education Centre for the Mentally Handicapped in Hyderabad. The results of the present study showed decreased activity of serum calcineurin in children with idiopathic mental handicap compared to those of normal subjects in the same age group. The observations thus suggest impaired calcineurin activity in children with mental handicap. Calcineurin that is involved in biosynthesis and release of neurotransmitters at the synaptic terminal brain is affected thereby causing brain damage and leading to mental handicap. Impaired calcineurin activity was already indicated in many human diseases such as Down's syndrome, Alzheimers, Brain ischemia, cardiac hypertrophy etc. It is therefore necessary to check the calcineurin levels in children with mental handicap to understand the role of calcineurin in the causation of Mental handicap.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Toxicology, Institute of Genetics and Hospital for Genetic Diseases, Ameerpet, 500 016 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India.
authors.forename: L Hema
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Bindu
authors.forename: P Usha
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Rani
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Reddy
keywords: CaN Inhibitors; Calcineurin; Calmodulin; Mental Handicap; Neurotransmitters