Creatine Transporter Deficiency (CTD) Inside the GENE Causal Self Model

Let’s examine how Creatine Transporter Deficiency (CTD) fits into the GENE framework step by step.

CTD is caused by mutation in the SLC6A8 gene, which encodes the creatine transporter. It is typically X-linked and results in impaired transport of creatine into brain cells.

Creatine is essential for ATP buffering in neurons. When transport fails, brain energy metabolism is compromised.

Now let’s map this directly into my GENE model.

1. GENES

In the GENE model:

GENES → create the self

In CTD:

Mutation → defective creatine transporter → reduced neuronal energy availability → altered neural development → constrained cognitive architecture.

The “self” that develops is already shaped by this constraint before any conscious choice occurs.

This is not philosophical speculation. It is biochemical causation.

2. NUTRIENTS

Creatine is related to nutrients.

However, in CTD:

Adequate dietary creatine ≠ adequate brain creatine.

The problem is not nutrient availability.
The problem is nutrient transport.

So this demonstrates something important in the GENE model:

Nutrients only matter insofar as genes allow them to be processed and used.

This is a G × N interaction.

3. ENVIRONMENTS

Environmental factors still matter:

• Early intervention
• Speech therapy
• Special education
• Structured caregiving

These can improve functional outcomes.

But they operate within biological limits set by the mutation.

So we have:

Genes constrain → Environment modifies within bounds.

4. EXPERIENCES

Because of cognitive and communication limitations, individuals with CTD may experience:

• Frustration
• Social exclusion
• Reinforcement of maladaptive patterns
• Dependency on caregivers

These experiences further shape the developing self.

So the causal chain becomes:

Gene mutation → neurodevelopmental constraint → altered experiences → further shaping of behaviour and identity.

5. CHOICE UNDER CONSTRAINT

Executive functions commonly affected in CTD include:

• Working memory
• Language processing
• Impulse inhibition
• Planning
• Emotional regulation

So the available action space is smaller.

Not metaphorically smaller.
Computationally smaller.

Choice is downstream of neurobiology.

6. CONSEQUENCES AND FEEDBACK

The individual’s actions affect:

• Family dynamics
• Educational systems
• Healthcare resources
• Social responses

Those responses then feed back into:

Environment and Experience variables in GENE.

The model is recursive.

What CTD Demonstrates About the GENE model

CTD clearly shows:

1. A single gene mutation can alter the trajectory of the self.
2. Cognitive capacity depends on metabolic constraints.
3. Executive control is biologically instantiated.
4. “Freedom” is bounded by neurobiology.
5. Moral responsibility must be graded.

When constraints are obvious (as in CTD), everyone recognises reduced responsibility.

The GENE model simply extends that same principle to all cases in degree.

In CTD, we can trace:

Gene mutation
→ Impaired creatine transport
→ Reduced ATP buffering
→ Altered neural development
→ Reduced executive function
→ Constrained choice space
→ Altered consequences
→ Environmental feedback

The system is causally continuous.

There is no metaphysical gap where an uncaused “free self” appears.

CTD, therefore, serves as a concrete neurological case study supporting the GENE Causal Self Model.

But if:

• God creates the person,
• God creates their temperament,
• God creates their environment,
• God foreknows every outcome,

then ultimate moral responsibility cannot rest on the creature.

Foreknown certainty + deliberate creation = responsibility at the highest causal level. If God is real, all suffering, injustice and death are 100% God's fault.