Memantine is the first in a novel class of Alzheimer's disease medications acting on the glutamatergic system by blocking NMDA-type glutamate receptors. It was first synthesized by Eli Lilly and Company in 1968. Memantine is marketed under the brands Axura and Akatinol by Merz, Namenda by Forest, Ebixaand Abixa by Lundbeck and Memox by Unipharm.
Harvard researchers found that deleting one gene in certain brain cells causes autism behaviors in mice. They also discovered that treating the mice with rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug, prevents the symptoms. Autism Speaks partially funded the study, published this month in the journal Nature.
The findings represent an important step in figuring out brain pathways that cause autism, explains the study’s senior author, Mustafa Sahin, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology at Harvard University. It also represents a very early step in determining whether rapamycin or drugs like it can help individuals with autism.
Past research has associated autism with certain brain cells in the cerebellum, a region involved in coordinating brain activity. These cells, called Purkinje cells, play an essential role in normal brain function. Studies using post-mortem tissue show that many individuals with autism have fewer of these cells than is normal.
Dr. Sahin and his team wanted to better understand the link between Purkinje cells and autism. They deleted one gene in the Purkinje cells of mice. Specifically, they deleted a gene associated with the rare disorder tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Nearly half of all individuals with TSC develop autism. Studying single-gene disorders associated with autism helps researchers pinpoint affected brain circuits and test potential treatments, Dr. Sahin explains.
Deleting the gene (either one or both copies) caused all three of autism’s core behaviors .... More @ http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/one-gene-one-drug-affect-autism-behaviors-mouse-model
With Autism numbers climbing, there are those who look to the profit margin of knowing thousands of children, teens and young adults may need medications to "target behavior." It is unfortunate and incorrect that Autism is still being looked at as a behavioral and developmental disability for many instead of a neuroimmune disease that manifests in repetitive behaviors, anxiety and verbal/social regression. For many, like my daughter, that regression came about after vaccinations. These children tend to be very vulnerable canaries to toxins, thus medications can prove to be problematic for many. It is important to know the mechanism of action in treating symptoms short term, but especially long term as some of these drugs have severe side effects that increase with dosage as well as duration.
Recently, I wrote about a new study showing that over a third of children with an autism diagnosis had high levels of S100B in their blood, a calcium-binding protein that is produced primarily by astrocytes and is indicative of active brain injury. While reading about S100B, I started to realize that some abstracts and research about Risperdal and other anti-psychotic medications were appearing that seemed to show a pattern.
More @ http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/05/risperdal-and-s100b-prolactin-tumors-and-tardive-dyskinesia.html
Autism Therapy: Buspar (buspirone hydrochloride)
definition of Buspar (buspirone hydrochloride): Buspar® is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for short-term relief of more severe symptoms of anxiety. Buspirone may be prescribed off-label for people with autism to help reduce anxiety and aggression and to help improve behaviors. Buspirone has helped improve behaviors in some people with autism. This medication is currently being tested in children and adults with autism.
A team of scientists at a California non-profit organization just announced a pilot study to determine if Ecstasy might help fight the effects of autism. This isn’t the first time that MAPS, or the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, has researched the psychiatric benefits of MDMA. A 2010 study of twenty Iraq veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder found that a combination of Ecstasy and therapy resulted in an 80-percent success rate, high enough to convince the Food and Drug Administration to greenlight further studies of the drug.
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the effect of escitalopram in the treatment of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs).
METHOD:
This 10-week study had a forced titration, open-label design. Twenty-eight subjects (mean age 125.1 +/- 33.5 months) with a PDD received escitalopram at a dose that increased weekly to a maximum dose of 20 mg as tolerated. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community Version (ABC-CV) and the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI) were used to assess outcome.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effect of serotonin transporter polymorphism promoter region (5-HTTPLR) genotypic variation (low, intermediate, and high expression groups) on response to escitalopram treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
BOSTON,Dec. 5, 2011/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's still unclear what's different in the brains of people withautismspectrum disorders (ASDs), but evidence from genetic and cell studies points to abnormalities in how brain cells (neurons) connect to each other. A study at Children's HospitalBostonnow provides visual evidence associating autism with a disorganized structure of brain connections, as well as defects in myelin -- the fatty, insulating coating that helps nerve fibers conduct signals and that makes up the brain's white matter.
Researchers led byMustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, of the Department of Neurology,Simon Warfield, PhD, director of the Computational Radiology Laboratory, and first authorJurriaan Peters, MD, of both departments atChildren's, used advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to image the brains of 40 patients (infants to age 25) with tuberous sclerosis complex and 29 age-matched,healthycontrols. Tuberous sclerosis is a rare genetic condition often associated with cognitive and behavioral deficits, including ASDs about 50 percent of the time.
...Armed with thesedata, Sahin has launched a Phase II clinical trial of a rapamycin-like drug called Afinitor® (everolimus; formerly RAD001), sponsored byNovartis, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance and Autism Speaks. The trial will enroll 50 patients with TSC to test whether Afinitor improves neurocognition, autism, seizures and sleep disorders. "Specifically modulating neurocognition with a small molecule is only starting to be done," says Sahin. (For more on this trend, seethis related blog post.)
Read more:Autism May Involve Disordered White Matter in The Brain | Medindiahttp://www.medindia.net/health-press-release/Autism-May-Involve-Disordered-White-Matter-in-The-Brain-123572-1.htm#ixzz1fgxcOj9a
Dec. 2, 2011 -- The antidepressant Prozac appears to be useful for treating a defining symptom of autism spectrum disorder -- repetitive, compulsive behavior.
In a newly published study involving autistic adults, half of those who took Prozac (fluoxetine) experienced meaningful declines in repetitive behaviors.
More @ http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20111202/prozac-lessens-autism-symptom-adults
Abstract
A woman consulted psychiatric Out-Patient Department (OPD) for her 5-year and 2-month-old son presenting with typical autistic symptoms like social, behavioural, and communicational ineptitudeness. Subsequent treatment with Donepezil resulted in marked improvement in the aforementioned symptomatology. Recent studies in autistic child have shown diminished acetylcholine and nicotinic receptor activity, thus an acetylcholinergic enhancer, Donepezil, likely accounts for improvement in autistic symptoms. Evidently, the case report consolidates Donepezil role as a potentially useful agent in the treatment of cognitive and behavioural symptoms observed in this disorder.
COLUMBIA, Mo., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say propranolol -- a drug used to treat high blood pressure, control heart rate and reduce test anxiety -- may help people with autism.
David Beversdorf of the University of Missouri found the drug is beneficial for improving language development and social communication in people with autism.
"We can clearly say that propranolol has the potential to benefit language and may help people with autism function appropriately in social situations, including making eye contact with others," Beversdorf said in a statement. "Enhancing both language and social function is significant because those are two of the three main features of autism. Clinical trials will assess the drug's effect on all three features, including repetitive behaviors."
'Autistic' mice created – and treated - health - 29 September 2011 - New ScientistA new strain of mice engineered to lack a gene with links to autism displays many of the hallmarks of the condition. It also responds to a drug in the same way as people with autism, which might open the way to new therapies for such people.
It's not the first mouse strain to have symptoms of autism, and previous ones have already been useful models for studying the condition. Daniel Geschwindat the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues tried a fresh approach, however. Rather than simply examining existing strains to identify mice with autistic-like behaviour, they engineered mice to lack a gene calledCntnap2, which had already been implicated in autism. Cntnap2 is the largest gene on the genome, clocking in at 2.5 million bases, and is responsible for regulating brain circuits involved in language and speech.
Geschwind was initially sceptical that the modified mice would display the behaviour typical of autism in humans, because the neural pathways in the two species are thought to be fairly different. "One has to be cautious," he says. "What is an autistic mouse going to look like?"
Many children with autism take the medication Abilify (aripiprazole) to help control irritability and other symptoms associated with autism. Although prior research has shown that Abilify is generally effective for treating irritability, the drug lacked sufficient research focused on its long-term safety and tolerability. A recent 52-week clinical trial attempted to determine the long term side effects of aripiprazole. The findings were published in an article titled Safety and Tolerability of Aripiprazole for Irritability in Pediatric Patients with Autistic Disorder: a 52-Week, Open-Label, Multicenter Study.
More http://ultimateautismguide.com/2011/08/autism-news-long-term-side-effects-of-abilify-aripiprazole/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UltimateAutismGuide+%28Ultimate+Autism+Guide%29
Related:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seaside Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the initiation of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b study to evaluate the effects of STX209 (arbaclofen) on social impairment in children, adolescents and adults (ages 5 to 21) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Company announced positive results from an open-label Phase 2a study of STX209 in September of 2010.“There are currently no FDA-approved therapeutics to treat the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, creating a vast unmet need for the millions of individuals and their families affected by this condition in the US and EU alone,” said Randall L. Carpenter, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaside Therapeutics. “In our open-label Phase 2a study of STX209, we observed significant improvements in social impairment—a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders—including symptoms such as preference to be alone, being withdrawn or isolated, and lack of social reactivity. We are spearheading late-stage development of a drug candidate that has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for autism spectrum disorders—addressing core symptoms—and are truly excited about the prospect of helping patients and their families achieve an improved quality of life.”
The Phase 2b study is expected to involve approximately 25 clinical sites in the United States and enroll 150 subjects. Patients will be randomized to receive STX209 or placebo. A flexible dose titration schedule will be utilized during the first 4 weeks of the treatment period to achieve the optimal titrated dose. The total duration of treatment is 12-weeks. The study is designed to measure the efficacy, safety and tolerability of STX209. The primary efficacy endpoint will evaluate social behavior. Subjects who complete the entire study may be eligible to enroll in a subsequent open-label study. Details of the study can be obtained at www.clinicaltrials.gov and at www.seasidetherapeutics.com or by calling 1-877-713-9009, option 8.
About STX209:
STX209 is an oral selective gamma-amino butyric acid type B (GABA-B) receptor agonist. Pathologies observed in certain neurodevelopmental disorders, including fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), are believed to be caused by excessive activation of glutamate receptors and abnormally high ratios of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain. GABA-B receptors play an important role in modulating the release of glutamate and optimizing the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission. STX209 has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models, suggesting that it may improve function in individuals with FXS and ASD.
With STX209, Seaside has successfully completed the largest, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial (Phase 2) in patients with FXS and an open-label Phase 2a exploratory trial in patients with ASD. A Phase 3 study in adolescents and adults (ages 12 to 25) with FXS began in May of 2011 and a Phase 2b study in children, adolescents and adults (ages 5 to 21) with ASD began in June of 2011. An additional Phase 3 study in children (ages 5 to 11) with FXS is expected to begin in early summer 2011.
About Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by three hallmark symptoms that can range from mild to disabling, including difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, with boys being four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with the disorder. There is no cure for autism and there are currently no FDA-approved therapeutics to treat the core symptoms of ASD.
About Seaside Therapeutics:
Seaside Therapeutics, Inc. is creating novel drug treatments to correct or improve the course of fragile X syndrome, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The Company is dedicated to translating breakthrough discoveries in neurobiology into therapeutics that improve the lives of patients and their families. For more information please visit www.seasidetherapeutics.com.
Contacts
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Sarah Cavanaugh/Kari Watson
781-235-3060
scavanaugh@macbiocom.com
kwatson@macbiocom.com
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular wrecking ball that powers the demolition phase of a cycle that occurs at synapses those specialized connections between nerve cells in the brain and whose activity appears critical for both limiting and enhancing learning and memory.
The newly revealed protein, which the researchers named thorase after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, belongs to a large family of enzymes that energize not only neurological construction jobs but also deconstruction projects. The discovery is described in the April 15 issue of Cell.
"Thorase is vital for keeping in balance the molecular construction-deconstruction cycle we believe is required for memory formation," explains Valina Dawson, professor of neurology and neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins Institute of Cell Engineering. "It's a highly druggable target, which, depending on whether you enhance or inactivate it, may potentially result in new treatments for autism, PTSD, and memory dysfunction."
Acamprosate can help treat patients with autism, Fragile X syndromeRelated:
In small, early clinical trials, adults and children with autism and Fragile X syndrome have shown improved communication and social behavior when treated with acamprosate, according to Craig Erickson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and chief of the Riley Hospital for Children Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Indiana University Health.
Acamprosate, which affects chemicals in the brain by blocking certain receptors associated with mental health, has approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcoholism in adults.
Dr. Erickson is the inventor on a pending utility patent for the use of acamprosate as a therapeutic agent for Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and the most frequent single gene cause of autism.
"We have been treating small numbers of both adults and children," said Erickson. "We have observed improvements in eye contact, social interaction and speech. This is very early work, but it appears promising.
"We have a lot to do. We need to determine appropriate doses and forms for the best drug delivery. Larger studies will be needed to determine effectiveness and tolerability. And we expect to find many interesting things along the road, for example whether this drug could work better in those with Fragile X who have autism than in those whose autism is from an unknown cause."
Read more at http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110405/Acamprosate-can-help-treat-patients-with-autism-Fragile-X-syndrome.aspx
