Medication used to treat high blood pressure has been found to help improve brain and social functions in people with autism, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which impairs the ability to communicate and interact. While there is no cure, it can be treated with medication and behavioural therapies. Now, the new study suggests a drug called propranolol could play a key role in improving brain function for individuals living with the condition.
"Propranolol was first reported to improve the language and sociability skills of individuals with autism in 1987, but it was not a randomized, controlled trial, and there has been little follow-up research on this drug in relation to autism," senior author of the study David Beversdorf, an associate professor in the departments of radiology, neurology and psychological sciences at MU and the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, told a news portal.
Adding, "While its intended use is to treat high blood pressure, propranolol has been used off-label to treat performance anxiety for several years. However, this is the first study to show that a single dose of propranolol can improve the conversational reciprocity skills of individuals with autism."
For the study, 20 participants with autism were divided into two groups. One group was given a 40-milligram dose of propranolol, while the other group was given a placebo pill. Researchers waited for an hour after the drugs were administered to begin a structured conversation with both groups. The team made note of how they performed in six social skills required to have a conversation:
* Staying on the subject
* Being able to share information
* Have a reciprocity conversation
* Interruptions
* Nonverbal communication
* Being able to maintain eye contact
The results revealed communication scores were higher for those who took propranolol. "Though more research is needed to study its effects after more than one dose, these preliminary results show a potential benefit of propranolol to improve the conversational and nonverbal skills of individuals with autism," Beversdorf told a news portal. Adding, "Next, we hope to study the drug in a large clinical trial to establish the effects of regular doses and determine who would most likely benefit from this medication. Additional studies could lead the way for improved treatments for individuals with autism."
Previous research has found the estrogen hormones in pregnant women could increase the risk of autism."This new finding supports the idea that increased prenatal sex steroid hormones are one of the potential causes for the condition. Genetics is well established as another, and these hormones likely interact with genetic factors to affect the developing foetal brain," Simon Baron-Cohen, lead author of the study published in Molecular Psychiatry, told a news portal.
Alex Tsompanidis, a PhD student in Cambridge who was also part of the study further added: "These elevated hormones could be coming from the mother, the baby or the placenta. Our next step should be to study all these possible sources and how they interact during pregnancy."
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