Thyroxin may treat autism and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder

The thyroid hormone has proved effective in treating symptoms present in rats.

Identification of a molecular vulnerability present in both autism and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which both develop in utero, has allowed scientists to discover a potential treatment.
Researchers made their discovery after conducting an investigation involving rats, studying the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on social impairment present in their offspring.
They discovered that the risk of autism or FASD in young male rodents was amplified when their mother drank while expecting, with the expression of genes related to the disorders much higher.
However, investigators found that the administration of thyroxin hormone, which plays a role in brain development, could help to prevent this negative effect taking hold.
Professor Eva Redei, of Northwestern University, lead author of the study, said: "Human studies are needed to establish that the parallel we saw in the animal model exists in these diseases."
It is also important that the researchers are able to identify the lowest dose possible to achieve the benefits, since overly-high levels of the thyroid hormone can be detrimental to health.