Are There Pharmaceutical Drugs That Can Treat Autistic Patients?

Dr. Bear from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology briefs the Congressional biomedical Research Caucus. He suggests that a specific class of drug already sitting on drug company shelves may help patients with an inherited disease called Fragile X syndrome, a common cause of autism—though he is quick to caution that years of research still remain. Dr. Bear highlights his over four decades of research that has culminated in a deep udeep understanding of the mechanisms responsible for whittling away inappropriate synaptic connections. Insights derived from this line of research have recently suggested the remarkable possibility of new treatments for genetic disorders associated with autism and intellectual impairment.