If researchers mutate MYT1L in mice, they show behaviors like those of humans with autism. Maybe the mechanism is the same in humans, though "the genetic heterogeneity of ASD is enormous, and multiple transcriptional regulators have recently been associated with this group of disorders." as the paper says. The paper is about some mechanisms that might play a role and the effects of lamotrigine on them. If this has similar effects on humans, and if there aren't any unhappy side effects (lots of luck there), and if this represents the important part of the autism impact on humans, and if this works for more than one variety of autism, we've got some interesting progress. But not a "switch".
I suppose it is hopelessly naive to expect headline writers to try to get the facts right.
It is not something I'd try to monkey with, even if lamotrigine were readily available.
3 comments:
Sound like the sort of thing you don't tamper with unless prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind.
I've seen lamotrigine prescribed often for seizures at my old hospital. It does give you something of a natural experiment, when you have been practicing for a while - especially at a hospital where you are talking with other doctors and covering their cases when they are out - noticing that "hey, I think this might be reducing some of his autism symptoms." You mention it. You get a med student to track things from the record or a second-year resident to set up a simple checklist for the unit staff to measure specific things. Then a network of doctors starts leaning to Med A, which might have an effect on the autism (or whatever) whenever there's a 50-50 decision. Eventually someone starts to do formal studies. But you can learn a lot before that happens.
Lots of medicines are now used for an unexpected purpose more than for its original purpose.
Indeed it could--you're probably right about the direction of interest.
A roommate in college had to take dilantin. His description did not make it sound like a good long-term drug, but lamotrigine might be better--I haven't researched it.
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