Treatments

A drug that selectively blocks one form of an enzyme called GSK-3 prevents seizures and improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome.

A candidate drug in clinical trials for Huntington’s disease reverses gait problems in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

A virus that delivers a working copy of the Rett syndrome gene to the brain improves features of the condition in mice, and appears to be safe in monkeys.

A drug called rapamycin prevents seizures in a mouse model of the autism-related condition tuberous sclerosis complex.

Many people with autism have difficulty falling and staying asleep, but there may be ways to help them.

Differences in sleep and circadian rhythm may distort the results of autism studies.

Deleting FMR1, the gene mutated in fragile X syndrome, in subsets of mouse neurons leads to distinct features of the condition.