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Motor and memory training early in life postpones the onset of difficulties in those areas in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature. Stimulating neurons involved in those skills appears to mimic the effects of training.
Mutations in the gene MECP2 cause Rett syndrome, which often overlaps with autism and almost exclusively affects girls. Many children with Rett syndrome develop typically until toddlerhood and then suddenly lose the ability to speak, crawl or walk. Other traits, including breathing problems, intellectual disability, seizures and changes in social behavior, can also emerge.
Gene therapy to replenish missing MECP2 protein holds the potential restore some abilities, but too much MECP2 protein can cause challenges similar to Rett syndrome, and a successful treatment may be more than a decade away.
In the meantime, intensive early therapy may help to delay the condition’s progress ...
