Role of serotonin in autism highlighted by new research
Monday 28th February 2011
New research has highlighted the role that serotonin plays in many cases of autism.
A study, published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, found that the brain chemical could be involved in around 30 per cent of autism cases.
Scientists studied mice, some of which had been treated with buspirone, and found that those which had spent longer in the company of a "stranger" mouse.
Dr Georgianna Gould of the UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, said: "No animal model is completely characteristic of humans, and we're far from saying that buspirone is a treatment for behaviours of autistic people."
However, she added that the results highlighted the part serotonin plays in a large proportion of autism cases.
This comes after research, published in BMJ Quality and Safety, found that medicine given to patients is more likely to be accurately measured out if it is in pill form.
Written by Martin Lambert
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