Diabetes drug may help symptoms of autism-associated condition
A new study led by researchers at McGill University, the University of Edinburgh and Université de Montréal has found that metformin improves social, behavioural and morphological defects in Fragile X mice. Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disease caused by defects in the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 gene (FMR1), which triggers excess production of protein in the brain, as well as dysregulated connections between neurons and changes in behaviour. The condition leads to impairments in speech and language, behaviour and social interaction. It affects about 1 in 5,000 boys and 1 in 6,000 girls and is often co-diagnosed with autism, anxiety disorders and seizures. Fragile X mice -- animals that display symptoms associated with the disease such as increased grooming and decreased socialization -- showed normal brain connections and behavioural patterns after 10 days of injection with metformin. Nahum Sonenberg , James McGill Professor at McGill's Biochemistry Department and co-...