BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Statins for fragile X

February 14, 2013 8:00 AM UTC

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have mouse data showing that the cholesterol drug lovastatin can correct fragile X syndrome.1 The findings add to a growing list of unconventional strategies for treating this common form of mental retardation.

Fragile X syndrome is caused by trinucleotide repeat expansions in fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1). The condition causes alterations in protein synthesis in neurons, leading to developmental delays, autism and epilepsy...