Drug improves brain performance in Rett syndrome mice
Pozzo-Miller has now found that the brain penetrant drug -- a small-molecule mimetic of BDNF, or brain derived neurotrophic factor -- is able to improve brain performance in Rett syndrome mice -- specifically synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and object location memory. The hippocampus is involved in learning and memory. This finding, in collaboration with Frank Longo, M.D., of Stanford University, who had shown the drug's improvement of breathing deficits in Rett mice in collaboration with David Katz, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University, adds to the growing realization that neurodevelopmental disorders that affect early brain development may be amenable to treatment, even after the onset of symptoms, says Pozzo-Miller, a professor of neurobiology in the UAB School of Medicine. "Neurodevelopmental disorders with intellectual disability and autism may not need to last a lifetime," Pozzo-Miller said. This offers hope to many patients and their families and...