Could targeting an Alzheimer’s-associated protein prevent Autism?
Autism manifests in myriad forms. Symptoms and severity vary from person to person, but all autism spectrum disorders share three core symptoms: impaired social interactions, communication deficits, and excessive repetitive behaviors.
No existing medications can adequately treat the core symptoms, and new treatments are urgently needed.
Now, researchers at the Gladstone Institutes report in Neuron that reducing levels of a protein called tau prevents the core symptoms from arising in mouse models simulating different forms of autism spectrum disorders. Tau reduction in these mice also prevented seizures, which occur in 30 percent of people with autism. … [read more]
