People with autism have too many synapses - the connectors by which brain cells send and receive signals - according to a new study that may point to a treatment for the complex disorder. The extra synapses in autistic brains are the result not of overproduction but of a failure in the normal process of discarding old and degraded cells. Researchers at New York's University of Columbia were able to re-establish the brain's "pruning mechanism" in mice genetically modified to simulate autism. To do it, they used a drug called rapamycin to block a protein, mTOR, which in autistic patients becomes hyperactive and blocks the brain's natural ability to cull synapses. Advertisement The researchers saw a reduction in typical autistic behaviours, such as avoiding contact with others, in the treated mice, according to findings published this week in the US journal Neuron. "We were able to treat the mice after the disease had appeared," said Columbia University neurobiologist David Sulzer, lead author of the study. This is crucial because autism does not become apparent at birth but later in childhood. "So you need a treatment that works after diagnosis," he said. "If we were correct we should be able to … Continue reading →

Saturday 23 August 2014 15.37 A new study on autism suggests that it may be possible to treat people who have autism. Autistic people have too many synapses, which are the connectors through which brain cells send and receive signals. The extra synapses in autistic brains are the result not of overproduction, but of a failure in the normal process of discarding old and degraded cells. Researchers at New York's University of Columbia were able to re-establish the brain's "pruning mechanism" in mice genetically modified to simulate autism. To do it, they used a drug called rapamycin to block a protein, mTOR, which in autistic patients goes hyperactive and blocks the brain's natural ability to cull synapses. The researchers saw a reduction in typical autistic behaviours, such as avoiding contact with others, in the treated mice, according to findings published this week in the US journal "Neuron." "We were able to treat the mice after the disease had appeared," said Columbia University neurobiologist David Sulzer, lead author of the study. This is thought to be crucial because autism does not become apparent at birth but later in childhood, "so you need a treatment that works after diagnosis," he said. "If … Continue reading →

THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers report that children with autism appear to have excess synapses -- cellular connections -- in their brains compared with typical children. The scientists also believe it might be possible to reduce the number of extra synapses through drug treatment. Synapses are the points in the brain where brain cells (neurons) connect and communicate with each other. Having excess synapses may have a major impact on how the brain functions, theorized neuroscientists at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. The extra synapses in the brains of autistic children are due to a slowdown in the normal brain "pruning" process during development, the researchers believe. "It's the first time that anyone has looked for, and seen, a lack of pruning during development of children with autism, although lower numbers of synapses in some brain areas have been detected in brains from older patients and in mice with autistic-like behaviors," study senior investigator, David Sulzer, a professor of neurobiology, said in a Columbia news release. His team also found that rapamycin, an immunosuppressant that helps prevent rejection in organ transplants and coats some coronary stents, can restore normal synaptic pruning and improve autistic-like … Continue reading →