Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research
Institute have designed a compound that shows promise as a potential therapy
for one of the diseases closely linked to fragile X syndrome, a genetic
condition that causes mental retardation, infertility, and memory impairment,
and is the only known single-gene cause of autism.
The study, published online ahead of print in the journal
ACS Chemical Biology September 4, 2012, focuses on tremor ataxia syndrome,
which usually affects men over the age of 50 and results in Parkinson’s
like-symptoms—trembling, balance problems, muscle rigidity, as well as some
neurological difficulties, including short-term memory loss and severe mood
swings.