Study Reveals: Drug for Alzheimer's Treatment Enhances Communication Skills in Autism Patients

Sada News - A new study has revealed that memantine, a drug used to treat Alzheimer's patients, may help teenagers with autism enhance their communication skills.

Researchers have previously indicated that taking memantine daily could be effective in assisting those with autism in improving their behaviors, such as difficulties in eye contact, hyperactivity, and understanding emotions.

The study was conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, and the results were published in JAMA Network Open on October 1 of this year, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Researchers monitoring dozens of American teenagers with autism found that more than half of those who took the medication, which slows down brain function decline and protects its cells, experienced improvements in their social communication skills, whereas only one-fifth of those who took the placebo noticed the same effect.

Experts noted that the drug could be an effective treatment option for a significant number of autism patients, but they warned of the need for further research to confirm this.

Memantine

Memantine, also known by its brand name Namenda, is originally used to treat Alzheimer's disease and has been approved for use in patients by the UK's National Health Service who do not respond to other treatments.

The drug works by blocking the effects of the chemical glutamate in the brain, which is believed to be linked to the development of dementia.

Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said: "The likelihood of the youth who received memantine responding to treatment was 4.8 times higher compared to the placebo treatment."

Memantine was well-tolerated by youth with autism without intellectual disability and was associated with a notable improvement in autism behaviors.

They added: "This result also suggests that memantine may be a relatively effective treatment option, which could lead to better outcomes for a significant proportion of patients."

Source: Daily Mail