From NPR:

Scientists at MIT are studying Fragile X syndrome, a genetic mutation that can cause intellectual disabilities and autism. They say they may have identified a way to use medication to regulate brain cell connections in people with Fragile X. So far the drugs have only been used in mice, but they are now being tried in humans. One small study found that a single dose of a drug had an effect.

“It’s a dream come true to think that we have the prospect of having gone from really basic science discovery to a potential treatment,” says Mark Bear, who directs the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.

The research has been funded in part by a group that was started by parents of a young man with Fragile X.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm and is filed under autism, fragile x, intellectual/developmental disabilities, research news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post