Down’s Syndrome Mice Improve after Nerve Transmitters

Boston (DbTechNo) - Results of a new study using mice support the theory that boosting nerve transmitters in the brain may benefit people living with Down’s syndrome.

Down’s syndrome effects up to 5000 babies born each year in the United States and is caused by multiple copies of chromosome 21.

The condition is the most common cause of retardation in children, and is not curable.

At birth, children with Down’s syndrome do not show any sign of mental delay, but as they age the condition begins to show itself, in the appearance of learning difficulty, and the inability of the child to form new memories.

“If you intervene early enough, you will be able to help kids with Down syndrome to collect and modulate information,” said Dr Ahmad Salehi of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.

“Theoretically, that could lead to an improvement in cognitive functions in these kids,” he said.

In the study, researchers injected mice genetically engineered to have Down’s syndrome with norepinephrine and noticed that their overall ability to learn and act like regular mice became more apparent.

“This study explains why contextual learning is compromised in Down Syndrome and suggests a new therapeutic strategy, because so far we have been targeting other systems for treating people with Down Syndrome,” said Salehi.

The study can be found in the journal Science Translational Medicine.