Yet Another Highly Unethical and Socially Irresponsible “Genes-Only” Study Fails to Show that Autism is 80% “Genetic”
Note: We have excerpted this from James Lyons-Weiler's site with permission.
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In a WebMD article, the results from a large genetic-factor-only study gleefully reports that the newest, highest-ever estimate of the percent liability of autism risk that can be attributed to “genetics” is 80%, leaving the remaining 20% to environmental factors.
The article also claims that this new, highest estimate is reported by the study authors to be “…roughly in line with those from prior, smaller studies on the issue, further bolstering their validity“.
Consistent Results From Invalid Methodology Does not Make Those Results “Valid”. It Makes Them “Consistent”.
The “roughly in line with” is an appeal to consistency. But the Liability Threshold Models differ from other approaches methodologically. Previous studies, one of which was conducted by the same group of researchers, had estimates that ranged from 0 to 99% heritability. The average, until this group started using liability-threshold models, was around 40% attribution to genetics. Their studies increased the average, but it still hovered around 50% liability. Only the liability threshold models, used by this group, show results around 80% liability. So their method is consistent with itself. No surprise there. But that’s nowhere near “roughly in line” with all prior studies.
The article skips over the fact that the newest, latest study, like the prior studies, fails to actually measure the contribution of a single environmental factor. While the article rails against “anti-vaxxers”, the study ignores the vaccination status of those involved in the study. The mantra of so many studies never showing association has be tempered with a mature, responsible and realstic interpretation in the context of how those studies were conducted: restricted to one vaccine (MMR), and then there is this: Read the full article at Lyons-Weiler's site here.
It seemed reasonable to me to look for autism genes considering that the search for schizophrenia genes seemed to be producing results (even if those results were underwhelming), but what if that search has actually been something of a boondoggle?
"A new study, published this week in Psychiatry Research, asserts that genetic researchers have greatly overestimated schizophrenia as being primarily a genetic disease. Rather than having a heritability claimed to be as high as 80% by some genetic researchers, the current study suggests that the heritability is in the range of 30%, a level similar to that of many human autoimmune disorders. The study, titled Schizophrenia as a Pseudo-Genetic Disease: A Call For More Gene-Environmental Studies, is co-authored by E. Fuller Torrey, the Associate Director for Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute and Robert H. Yolken, the Director of the Stanley Division of Developmental Neurovirology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine....
Since schizophrenia does not appear to be primarily a genetic disease, the authors suggest that the current expenditure of $100 million a year by NIMH on the genetics research is not the best use of limited research funds. Some of these funds could better be spent on promising nongenetic approaches, including inflammation, infection, and the microbiome. Especially important to pursue are more studies of gene and environment interaction since such studies are more likely to be productive than studies of either genetic or environmental factors individually.
The release of the current study follows a May 2019 publication by Richard Border et al. in the American Journal of Psychiatry detailing the failure of genetic research on depression. The authors concluded: 'Depression candidate genes were no more associated with depression phenotypes than non-candidate genes,' Matthew Keller, the study's senior author, was explicit: 'We didn't find a smidge of evidence....How on earth could we have spent 20 years and hundreds of millions of dollars studying pure noise?' When the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003 at a cost of $3.8 billion it promised to provide major breakthroughs in treating human diseases, including psychiatric diseases. For both depression and schizophrenia there is little to show for the genetic efforts to date...."
https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/press-releases/new-study-details-the-failure-of-genetic-research-on-schizophrenia
Posted by: Carol | July 26, 2019 at 11:26 PM
The only thing this study proves, is that 'science' is indeed for sale.
It takes a special kind of idiot to believe that autism even could be 'inherited', from preceding generations who didn't have it to pass along.
Bud the fact that they're able to find yet more so called scientists, who even have a price for arriving at such ridiculous conclusions, means the scientific community can never be relied on to do the honest thing, and right this horrible wrong.
Posted by: Barry | July 20, 2019 at 01:51 PM
Much appreciated, and thank goodness there are enough sturdy hardy scientists around who can identify "A Dud" from a fair distance!
This study appears to be forensically fondled to the hilt in a fluffy forensics fashion ,but in reality , couldn't fudge ,fondle,or fry ham!
Sounds like ,looks like ,and reads like, a pin the tail on a donkey blindfolded scientific expedition field trip, using [ 8 out of 10 cats-] Wikipedia, methodology .
Data is important,and getting the data the right way round is important ,but the story/slogan being told and sold can fudge-a-nudge of how the facts are arranged and that determines the summarised conclusion of the story's/ slogan presentation ,up for sale!
How to sell a raspberry on top of a dollop of sheeps droppings !
As we often used to have to say to the Thurso Pipe Band ,a bit overenthusiastic after a pipe band parade, then doing acrobatic summersaults on the bus on the way back to Skerray ,without a single pair of underpants to share between them either!
"Ach away and sit down and behave with it , because if that's all you have to show for yourselves anaway ,are you really sure you pipers want to be showing that tae anyone!
Posted by: Morag | July 20, 2019 at 04:31 AM
Population/database studies should not be called science. I would rather read these:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31316548
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31315775
Posted by: Beleaguered Autism Mom | July 19, 2019 at 10:07 PM
Someone needs to tell these mice:
"This work reveals for the first time that early HBV [hepatitis B] vaccination induces impairments in behavior and hippocampal neurogenesis. This work provides innovative data supporting the long suspected potential association of HBV with certain neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and multiple sclerosis (Gallagher and Goodman, 2010; Stubgen, 2012). This study used the same vaccine and a similar time schedule to those used for human infant vaccination in China. Therefore, these findings suggest that there may be similar effects of neonatal HBV vaccination on brain development and behavior in humans."
"Neonatal hepatitis B vaccination impaired the behavior and neurogenesis of mice transiently in early adulthood," Yao et al., 2016
https://vaccinesafetycommission.com/pdfs/Neonatal-hepatitis-B-vaccination-impaired-the-behavior-and-neurogenesis-of-mice-transiently-in-early-adulthood..pdf
Posted by: Carol | July 19, 2019 at 02:16 PM
Junk science at its most profoundly ridiculous. Sad to say that scientific and medical journals have become nearly as corrupted by bias as the media always has been.
Posted by: Gary Ogden | July 19, 2019 at 11:52 AM
Sigh, and then we have the nuts like N_Davis spewing, this garbage back at us and we knowing; just what a bought piece of pharma whoring and federal agencies, government workers protecting their positions. .
Posted by: Benedetta | July 19, 2019 at 08:51 AM
1. giannotta girolamo says July 11, 2019 at 7:40 pm
Good Morning. I am Dr. Girolamo Giannotta and together with Nicola Giannotta we were among the speakers at the last congress (AutismOne) in Chicago. We presented and published a paper in which we exposed the molecular biology of certain adverse events following HPV vaccination.
In these links there are our scientific contributions, and we are ready to collaborate to reach the truth.
1- https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/vaccines-and-neuroinflammation.pdf.
2- https://www.oatext.com/pdf/CCRR-5-454.pdf.
3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryZ3DpHBOCg.
4- https://www.dropbox.com/s/p411gcqyzry0ro8/Post%20vaccination%20inflammatory%20syndrome..pptx?
Posted by: Hans Litten | July 19, 2019 at 08:06 AM
Totally irresponsible and lethal .I have been following the CRISPER Cas9, dabbling in the genetic code and thinking how evil it all is to mess with nature like this.
https://health.good.is/articles/trump-is-an-anti-vaxxer
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | July 19, 2019 at 06:57 AM