Scientists have discovered a medicine that may help with some of the symptoms of autism in mice. The medicine is a pill that people usually take for epilepsy, which is a condition that can cause seizures.
The scientists found that this medicine could help mice who showed behaviors like hyperactivity and trouble with social interactions, which are similar to some behaviors that kids with autism might have. They were surprised that the medicine still worked even after the mice had already shown these symptoms.
In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have found that a $3-per-pill epilepsy drug may be used to “switch off” autism symptoms in mice.
The scientists discovered that a protein called MYT1L can affect the development of the brain in a way that might cause some of the symptoms of autism. When they turned off this protein, the mice showed the same behaviors that kids with autism might have. The scientists found that the medicine helps by fixing a problem with the way the brain cells work that is caused by turning off the MYT1L protein.
Autism rates have tripled within NYC metro area over a 16-year period from 2000 to 2016—rising from 1% to 3% according to estimates from CDC reports, and that’s not even taking into account recent years or the rest of the country.
Some experts warn that part of this drastic increase is due to women choosing to give birth later in life, but I personally don’t accept that as a reason, or at least not the primary reason, but that’s another discussion for another day.
Right now, the scientists have only tested this medicine on mice, but they hope to do more research to see if it can help people with autism too. This is really exciting news because it could help people with autism around the world.
