A Possible Therapy for Rett-like Autism Variants, as well as MCI and even Schizophrenia?
Today’s post was triggered by an intriguing comment left on this blog. As we have seen in previous posts, the single gene causes of “autism” like fragile X and Rett syndrome are themselves on a spectrum, with some people worse affected than others. Boys almost always being more severely affected than girls. It also appears possible that a partial dysfunction of this same gene/protein may lead to a much milder version of these same syndromes. Rett syndrome is well studied and as we saw in the earlier post about growth factors in autism, one key feature is an almost complete lack of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). Reduced levels of NGF are associated with several diseases and also the aging process. In many cases of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), as seen in dementia in older people, reduced NGF can be the root problem. Rett Syndrome Rett syndrome usually gets grouped as part of autism. Almost all people with Rett syndrome are female; here is why. Rett syndrome ...