Study links autistic behaviors to enzyme

(University of California - Riverside) Biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside have published a study today that sheds light on the cause of autistic behaviors in Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of autism. They found that an enzyme, MMP-9, plays a critical role. Working on mice, the researchers targeted MMP-9 as a potential therapeutic target in FXS and showed that genetic deletion of MMP-9 favorably impacts key aspects of FXS-associated anatomical and behaviors.

Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 23, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news