Fragile X may hold secrets to autism
July 3rd, 2008From Time magazine:
An explosion of research into Fragile X syndrome is yielding information that may help scientists understand and treat autism, and possibly some other conditions as well.
“Fragile X is leading the autism field in terms of new treatments,” says pediatrician Randi Hagerman, medical director of the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis. “We know the gene, we know a lot about the biology, and we know how to fix it. That’s pretty exciting!”
The disorder is caused by a gene on the X chromosome. It affects roughly 1 in 2,500 boys, leading to autism spectrum disorders in about half of them.


