Fragile X Syndrome

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is offering a free booklet on Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetically inherited form of mental retardation. The gene that causes the syndrome was only discovered in 1991. The booklet contains information on the physical and behavioral characteristics of children with Fragile X, the types of mental and language disabilities that the children experience, and ways of dealing with these issues.

An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to the authors of a new study. Fragile X is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 4,000 boys and 1 in 8,000 girls, according to the National Institutes of Health. It usually results in mental retardation and - in about half of cases - some form of autism. In fragile X, which accounts for 2% of autism cases, a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome turns off production of a regulatory protein known as FMRP.

An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to the authors of a new study. Fragile X is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 4,000 boys and 1 in 8,000 girls, according to the National Institutes of Health. It usually results in mental retardation and - in about half of cases - some form of autism. In fragile X, which accounts for 2% of autism cases, a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome turns off production of a regulatory protein known as FMRP.

Your story on Ayelet Waldman's book "Bad Mother" ["A Real Mother of a Job," June 14] continues a recent spate of articles on her and interviews with her, many focusing on her views on abortion. I am the mother of a 23-year-old son with fragile X syndrome, a condition that caused, in the words of Waldman, a "mentally retarded person." Her casual use of this term, together with a press that seems to think it's OK for people to use such derogatory language to describe mentally disabled people, concerns me. Are we ready to respect people who use sexist language and racial slurs?

A genetic discovery may pave the way for better tests to determine if an unborn baby will inherit a common form of mental retardation, French researchers said last week. They reported in the journal Nature that they have found new genetic features of Fragile X syndrome--the second most common type of inherited mental retardation after Down's syndrome--that may help improve genetic counseling for the disorder.

In 1983, Jeannie Lancaster was worried about her oldest son's slow development, and her pediatrician urged having the boy tested for Fragile X Syndrome, a little-known and incurable form of inherited mental retardation. "We were aware of significant problems with our oldest son and had been looking for an answer because we were seeing similarities in our younger son," Lancaster said. "Our pediatrician attended a seminar on genetic conditions where Fragile X was presented.

Your story on Ayelet Waldman's book "Bad Mother" ["A Real Mother of a Job," June 14] continues a recent spate of articles on her and interviews with her, many focusing on her views on abortion. I am the mother of a 23-year-old son with fragile X syndrome, a condition that caused, in the words of Waldman, a "mentally retarded person." Her casual use of this term, together with a press that seems to think it's OK for people to use such derogatory language to describe mentally disabled people, concerns me. Are we ready to respect people who use sexist language and racial slurs?

U.S. and Dutch researchers have discovered the defective gene that causes fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation. The report of the discovery, which will be published Friday in the journal Cell, is exciting to researchers because it offers for the first time the ability to perform prenatal screening for the disorder, and may eventually lead to the discovery of new ways to treat it. The syndrome affects one in every 1,250 males and one in every 2,000 females.

Parents of children with fragile X syndrome reported improvements in their children's attention spans and communication skills as well as decreased anxiety after the children were given the antibiotic minocycline, researchers said Tuesday. The results were strictly observational and were uncontrolled, but they suggest the drug -- which is already used widely for treating teen acne -- might also have a use for the fragile X condition. The results were sufficiently promising that the National Fragile X Foundation is now sponsoring a preliminary clinical trial.

EDUCATION TODAY * Lip-reading classes, sponsored by Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People. (Meets Mondays.) 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Reservations required. Call for exact location. (818) 785-8858. TUESDAY * "Medicare: What's It All About?" a seminar for senior citizens. Glendale Memorial Hospital, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale. 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Reservations required. (818) 502-2396. THURSDAY * "Continence: You're in Control," led by a urologist.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is offering a free booklet on Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetically inherited form of mental retardation. The gene that causes the syndrome was only discovered in 1991. The booklet contains information on the physical and behavioral characteristics of children with Fragile X, the types of mental and language disabilities that the children experience, and ways of dealing with these issues.

In 1983, Jeannie Lancaster was worried about her oldest son's slow development, and her pediatrician urged having the boy tested for Fragile X Syndrome, a little-known and incurable form of inherited mental retardation. "We were aware of significant problems with our oldest son and had been looking for an answer because we were seeing similarities in our younger son," Lancaster said. "Our pediatrician attended a seminar on genetic conditions where Fragile X was presented.

U.S. and Dutch researchers have discovered the defective gene that causes fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation. The report of the discovery, which will be published Friday in the journal Cell, is exciting to researchers because it offers for the first time the ability to perform prenatal screening for the disorder, and may eventually lead to the discovery of new ways to treat it. The syndrome affects one in every 1,250 males and one in every 2,000 females.

A genetic discovery may pave the way for better tests to determine if an unborn baby will inherit a common form of mental retardation, French researchers said last week. They reported in the journal Nature that they have found new genetic features of Fragile X syndrome--the second most common type of inherited mental retardation after Down's syndrome--that may help improve genetic counseling for the disorder.

People with Alzheimer's disease received some encouraging news this month when the U.S. government approved the first drug for those in the late stages of the disease. That medication, Namenda, or memantine, may be just the beginning. A new type of drug called ampakines promises not just to treat Alzheimer's but also to prevent memory loss in healthy people and combat other neurological ills that afflict millions.