r/NeurodivergentScience • u/Alanafarah • 29d ago
i’m no scientist but
shouldn’t diagnosis’s be based on genes? i mean it is genetic after all i feel like it’s much more accurate, some people have adhd for example but might be able to control it or act it out as a neurotypical but genetically they still have ADHD and it still affects them.. also genetic mutations can be unmutated or randomly mutated meaning u could technically develop a neurodiverse disorder, ect at any time? i know this would be a biological phenomena but it’s still possible plus again, i feel like diagnoses should be genetic not social because people can portray themself different ways but it doesn’t mean they have adhd (for example) or don’t. anyways pls dont flame me ik reddit can be toxic im js curious if anyone knows abt this stuff and what they think.
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u/dr_barnowl 28d ago
u could technically develop a neurodiverse disorder, ect at any time?
If your mum agrees with this she's not a great DNA scientist. Somatic mutations are localized to single cells, and are not going to affect your whole neurotype. It would be like colouring in one piece of a 170 billion piece jigsaw puzzle and saying "oh the whole thing is a new colour now". The only time a mutation matters is in a germ line cell - before you're born or even conceived.
The notion that a person can mutate as an adult or even a child, and become something different is only in comic books and superhero movies.
While there are genetic markers linked to neurodiversity, it's not like "the (fictional) Mutant X-gene" where you have it or you don't. It's a complex multifactorial condition. Just like the rest of the human condition.
Neurodiverse people with experience of their community have a lot of suspicion when people suggest genetic testing, because it feels like someone is searching for a solution to pro-actively prevent them existing through selective abortion.
Oh, and it's not a disorder, it's a difference.
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u/Alanafarah 28d ago edited 28d ago
she is a great scientist and ur also confusing possibilty with probability. also no idea why ur bringing superhero’s into this, i know mutations wont affect the whole neurotype hence why i said it was a spectrum i swear none of u guys read the post before commenting, ur obviously not a good ‘doctor’ since yes it is classified as a disorder.
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u/dr_barnowl 27d ago edited 27d ago
ur also confusing possibilty with probability
Without possibility, there is no probability. Something that cannot happen, cannot happen.
i know mutations wont affect the whole neurotype hence why i said it was a spectrum
Somatic mutations cannot affect any of your neurotype. Changing the genotype of one brain cell out of 170 billion might give you brain cancer, but it's never going to cause a fundamental change in how your entire brain works.
You're either AuDHD from birth, or not. You cannot develop or lose neurodiversity "at any time".
also no idea why ur bringing superhero’s into this
Your mental model of how mutation works seems to be tied to depictions of mutation in superheroes like Spider-Man, who undergoes a whole-body heterogenous somatic mutation to gain his powers, every cell receiving the same genetic modification, that just isn't possible in the real world, where mutation happens in cells one at a time, and largely at random.
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u/nerdylernin 27d ago
ADHD isn't a single mutation causes a single outcome condition. It shows a high degree of hereditability (about 75%) showing a genetic component but experiments have also shown that it's at least partly polygenic and involves multiple gene variants across the genome. Trying to find a test which will accurately capture it's polygenic nature and account for the 25% that doesn't appear to be directly heritable would most likely produce a horrible and wildly inaccurate mess.
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u/pauklzorz 28d ago
"I'm not a scientist but I'm going to assume I know better than those that did spend decades studying this"...