Possible Down's Syndrome Treatment

Down’s syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome, leads to a learning disability, the severity of which ranges from mild to severe. A new theory attributes the learning disability to over activity of the drug GABA in the brain. The hypothesis is that the over activity of GABA slows nerve cell activity. Fortunately, a new drug pentylenetrazole has been found that will suppress or block the action of GABA. If the GABA were to be suppressed, then normal brain activity could be restored or acquired. This drug has been tested in mice that have been genetically altered to have the equivalent of Down’s syndrome. They showed signs of improvement after 2 weeks and were able to maintain the improvement for a month after treatment stopped. These are amazing results; however, the drug has not been approved for human consumption and will need to go through extensive tests and human experiments before it will be able to be used as a treatment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6396473.stm