Fragile X study offers new drug hope

An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to a study. Fragile X is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 4,000 boys and 1 in 8,000 girls. It usually results in intellectual impairment and — in many cases — some form of autism. The results are exciting because they show that a drug could help to improve social behaviour in people with fragile x. Professor Peter Kind Co-director of the Patrick Wild Centre Brain disorder. In fragile X, a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome turns off production of a regulatory protein known as . This leads to out-of-control activation of the brain chemical glutamate, which plays a key role in learning and memory. This could help to explain social anxiety and other symptoms of the disorder.