Communication problem for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is quite a huge challenge that seems to have no solution. Nonetheless, a research published in the journal Biological Psychiatry says that there is a drug that can increase social interaction in autism.
The research tends to change people's understanding of the causes and brain changes in autism, according to Edward S. Brodkin, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. ASD is hard to treat but innovations for the treatment get better and better, he said.
A gene known as Protocadherin 10 (PCDH10) in ASD is said to have implication on human genetics and it is significantly involved in brain development and maintenance of synapses. Such synapses are the points of connections between neurons, to which neurotransmitters are coming from. Using a mice in the experiment, PCDH10 gene was eliminated. Upon doing so, it showed that the mice reduced its social approach behavior.
Brodkin said that if the NMDA-receptor signalling is enhanced, the mice become more sociable. This is done through injecting D-Cycloserine to the mice. D-cycloserine is hence said to improve social interactions for older adolescents and young adults on the spectrum.
On another note, not all kids or people on the spectrum have communication or social problems. The ability to communicate may vary, according to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorder (NIDCD). The communication abilities depend upon an individual's intellectual and social development. Some high-functioning kids on the spectrum actually have excellent communication and social skills, according to a report from the Indiana University. Nonetheless, there are always limitations like the inability to see other people's perspectives and so they tend to be narcissistic.
The drug offered through the research by Brodkin and the team is a good start to help autism individuals get through the stigma of being "aliens" who have different worlds. Progress is still being anticipated, though.
