WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A drug originally developed to treat Alzheimer's disease may also help teenagers with autism improve their communication skills, according to a new study.
The drug, called memantine (sold under the brand name Namenda), works by blocking brain receptors for glutamate, a chemical messenger that can be harmful in high amounts. However, lowering glutamate levels can slow brain damage in certain conditions. One brain region with many glutamate receptors is the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), which plays a role in social behavior and emotional awareness.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University tested memantine in a new clinical trial, giving the drug at higher doses to a specific group of children with autism.
The study included 33 participants between the ages of 8 and 17, most of them boys, who did not have intellectual disabilities. Half received 20 milligrams of memantine daily for 12 weeks, while the other half received a placebo.
The strongest improvements were seen in children with unusually high glutamate levels in the pgACC. About 21 percent of the placebo group showed meaningful progress, but memantine had a greater effect, especially among children with higher glutamate levels, who often also struggle more with communication.
However, the researchers noted some limitations. The participants were mostly White, which means the results may not apply to all racial or ethnic groups. In addition, the trial only included teens without intellectual disabilities, so the findings may not represent all children with autism.
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