Autism gene study could expand treatment opportunities
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JUPITER, Fla. – Researchers in Florida are expanding the understanding of some of the mechanisms involved in autism by zeroing in on genes that influence early brain growth.
Neuroscientist Dr. Damon Page and a team of scientists at Scripps Research in Jupiter have documented the impact of the loss of a gene called Dryk1a on brain undergrowth, which is a factor in some children with autism.
They also found that an existing medication already approved for use in children showed benefit in mouse studies.
“These are really kind of early day studies, but we think that’s really promising because that’s correcting one of the major problems that is associated with Dyrk1a mutations,” Page said.