Down Syndrome

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at Down Syndrome. Named after English physician, John Langdon Down, this is a congenital condition characterized by varying degrees of mental retardation and multiple defects. It is the most common chromosomal abnormality of a generalized syndrome and is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21. It looks at how doctors, scientists, and researchers continue to explore the causes, effects, and treatment of Down Syndrome, and how, with the technological advances in the field of modern genetics, researchers are beginning to isolate individual genes in order to study their specific functions.

Outline
Introduction
Causes of Down Syndrome
Genetic Mechanisms for Down Syndrome
The Symptoms of Down Syndrome
Case Study
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In order to fully understand the medical causes of Down Syndrome, a clear knowledge on the genetic basis of the disorder is required. During the fertilization stage, sperm and eggs cells are created through different processes called meiosis in which each pair of chromosomes splits or disjoins from each other which causes each daughter cell to receive only one chromosome from the original pair. Before they are fully developed, reproductive cells start out with 46 chromosomes, but as they mature, meiosis reduces their chromosome count to twenty-three. Thus, at conception, the sperm and egg each contain 23 chromosomes, being half the usual number; however, errors in chromosomal division during meiosis are very common."

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