Discovery may open door for treating fragile X carriers
Fragile X syndrome, an inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability, can have consequences even
for carriers of the disorder who don’t have full-blown symptoms. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified
a potential target for treatment for fragile X carriers.
Scientists find new clues to brain’s wiring
New research provides an intriguing glimpse into the processes that establish connections between nerve cells in the brain. These connections, or synapses, allow nerve cells to transmit and process information involved in thinking and moving the body. Pictured is the study’s senior author, Azad Bonni, MD, PhD.
Intellectual disability linked to nerve cells that lose their ‘antennae’
An odd feature of nerve cells may be
linked to several forms of inherited intellectual disability, Azad Bonni, MD, PhD, (pictured) and other School of Medicine researchers have learned. Further research eventually may help in the development of drugs to treat intellectual disability.
Defects in brain cell migration linked to mental retardation
A rare, inherited form of mental retardation has led
scientists at the School of Medicine to
three important “travel agents” at work in the developing brain. The agents make it possible for brain neurons to travel
from where they are born to other brain regions where they will
permanently reside.
Bonni to lead anatomy and neurobiology department
Azad Bonni, MD, PhD, currently professor of
neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, will be the next head of the
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University School
of Medicine in St. Louis.