A drug developed almost 100 years ago has been found to correct autism in mice.

 

Autism affects 1 to 2 percent of children in the United States, and hundreds of genetic and environmental factors have been linked to it.

 

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that treating mice with a sleeping sickness drug called suramin reverses autism-like symptoms. The drug was effective in both juvenile and adult mice. 

The treatment approach, called antipurinergic therapy or APT, blocks brain cells from emitting chronic danger signaling (CDR). This allows cells to restore normal communication and reverses autism symptoms.

 

Under stress, cells release “purinergic” chemicals that normally remain inside the cell. When they leak, purinergic chemicals interfere with brain development and function, many scientists believe, leading to autism.

 

"Correcting abnormalities in a mouse is a long way from a cure in humans but our study adds momentum to discoveries at the crossroads of genetics, metabolism, innate immunity, and the environment for several childhood chronic disorders, said Robert K. Naviaux, M.D., the study’s lead researcher.

"These crossroads represent new leads in our efforts to understand the origins of autism and to develop treatments for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders,” he said.

 

The study is published in Molecular Autism.