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A COMMONLY used blood pressure drug may hold the key to ‘curing’ autism, a French study has found.
In a paper published today in the journal Science, researchers in Marseille suggest that a generic diuretic long used to treat fluid retention among sufferers of high blood pressure may help treat the complex neuro-developmental disorder.
A team of French researchers, which also has stake in the drug, said the Bumetanide mimics oxytocin effects in the body.
Oxytocin is a type of hormone that is released during labor and helps in protecting the newborns from birth complications as well as stresses. It changes the regulatory process of neurons by a neurotransmitter and does not boost up the firing of neurons.
It is said autism spectrum disorder is also linked with overly excited brain circuits. At least one child in every 88 children suffers this and it results in their restricted interests tendency and also impaired communication and social skills.
Researchers tested the newly discovered drug on two types of autism. One that is the result of prenatal exposure to anticonvulsive valproic acid and the other caused due to genetic mutation that causes Fragile X Syndrome.
It is not very sure whether the therapy could be administered prenatally as even today diagnosing autism risks to fetuses is not possible.
Canadajournal/Agencies
