Here is MIT Autism article from news.com

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MIT reverses autism in mice

Posted by Shankland

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have found that

suppressing a particular enzyme has reversed some symptoms of autism

and mental retardation in mice.

An enzyme is a protein that triggers a chemical reaction, and this

one, called p21-activated kinase (PAK), affects neural connections in

the brain. Suppressing it can counteract the effects of Fragile X

Syndrome (FXS), the leading cause of retardation and a genetic

autism, MIT said Sunday.

" Our study suggests that inhibiting a certain enzyme in the brain

could be an effective therapy for countering the debilitating

symptoms of FXS in children, and possibly in autistic kids as well, "

the study's co-author Mansuo L. Hayashi, a former MIT postdoctoral

fellow now working at Merck Research Laboratories, said in a

statement. Several chemical compounds today already are known to

inhibit PAK's activity.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is reporting the

research this week.

The experiment involved mice genetically altered to suffer from FXS.

Suppressing the enzyme's activity restored the structure of neurons

and their electrical communication abilities, MIT said. The

suppression also corrected behavioral abnormalities.