Parents Report Minocycline (A Widely Prescribed Antibiotic) Is Effective For Treating Their Children With Fragile X Syndrome

Minocycline capsules

One of the antibiotics most commonly prescribed to treat adolescent acne can increase attention spans and communication and decrease anxiety in patients with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment, according to a new survey study that is the first published on parents’ reports of their children’s responses to treatment with the medication.

Neuroscientists Identify Synaptic Defect In Brain Area Involved In Fragile X Syndrome

On June 18, 2010, in Neuroscience, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
X Chromosome

Researchers at India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and New York University’s Center for Neural Science have identified novel synaptic defects in an area of the brain that is involved in the debilitating emotional symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). FXS is the leading known genetic cause of autism and mental retardation. The study, [...]

Imaging Reveals Abnormal Brain Growth In Toddlers With Fragile X

Chromosomes

Differences in brain growth patterns between preschool-aged boys with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, and their healthy peers suggest that the disorder may affect brain development both before and after birth, according to NIMH-funded researchers. In addition, their findings indicate ages 1-5 are an important window for better [...]

Researchers Uncover Fragile X Syndrome’s Genetic Role In Shaping The Brain

On May 10, 2010, in Neurological, by Christopher Fisher, PhD

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how the genetic mutation that causes Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation, interferes with the “pruning” of nerve connections in the brain. Their findings appear in the April 29 issue of Neuron.

Autism Consortium Study In Pediatrics Shows CMA Finds More Genetic Abnormalities Than Current Tests

On March 15, 2010, in Autism, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
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The Autism Consortium, an innovative research, clinical, and family collaboration dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for families with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), announced today that the results of its comparison study of genetic testing methods for autism spectrum disorders is available from the journal Pediatrics through early online release in their eFirst [...]

MIT Neuroscientists Develop Promising Treatments That Could Reverse Autism, Mental Retardation, And Alzheimer’s Disease

In his own words, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear admits he did not “wake up one day and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to cure autism.’” But, after decades of painstaking basic research on how the brain rewires itself in response to external cues, Bear has discovered a way to reverse the symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome, [...]

New Clue Why People With Autism Do Not Want Hugs

On February 11, 2010, in Autism, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
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Why do people with fragile X syndrome, a genetic defect that is the best-known cause of autism and inherited mental retardation, recoil from hugs and physical touch – even from their parents? New research has found in fragile X syndrome there is delayed development of the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds [...]

Science Daily Research News Update 12-21-09

On December 21, 2009, in Medical Science, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
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The 12-21-09 edition of the Science Daily Research News Update brings about a plethora of newly published health research. Read on to discover more on very concerning data that shows that the rate of Autism Disorders climb to 1% among 8-year-olds, Rush University Medical Center to open the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic, how saturated [...]

NIH/NIMH Research News Update 11-22-09

On November 22, 2009, in Medical Science, by Christopher Fisher, PhD
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The NIH/NIMH Research Update for 11-22-09 brings new information on a potentially groundbreaking drug to treat Fragile X Syndrome that enters a clinical trial phase, brain imaging (MRI) studies that track development of children’s brains, significant grant money to be allocated for Autism research, combined antidepressant and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is most effective treatment [...]