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Drug Reverses Retardation In Mice

Posted by kdawson on from the give-my-regards-to-algernon dept.

snydeq writes "Rapamycin, a medication doctors prescribe to transplant patients to prevent organ rejection, has been used to reverse learning disorders and mild retardation associated with TSC (tuberous sclerosis complex) in mice. Because the condition is linked to autism, scientists believe the drug may be used to treat learning disabilities and short-term memory deficits in all kinds of autism as well. The scientists chose rapamycin after they realized the drug regulates one of the same proteins that the TSC gene does, just in different parts of the body. 'What was surprising is that we could give rapamycin to adult mice and reverse their condition,' said neurobiologist Alcino Silva of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. 'We did not know ... that this drug would be equally effective for the learning disabilities as it is for tissue rejection.' Rapamycin treatment leveled the playing field between normal and TSC mice in as little as three days."

16 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Cool! by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great!!! Now how can we get this drug out to 80% of the population quickly enough?

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    1. Re:Cool! by lena_10326 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Great!!! Now how can we get this drug out to 80% of the population quickly enough?

      Your estimate is high. Only 50.7% require it.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_US_presidential_election

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    2. Re:Cool! by Thelasko · · Score: 5, Funny

      Great!!! Now how can we get this drug out to 80% of the population quickly enough?

      Put it in expensive bottled water.

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    3. Re:Cool! by Neeperando · · Score: 5, Funny
      Maybe we can use that to our advantage. We should have nominated a puppy for president instead of Obama.

      Press: What's your plan to make health care affordable for all Americans?

      Candidate Puppy (chews on tennis ball, chases tail): Woof!

      Voters: Awwwwww!

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  2. Finally a cure by gijoel · · Score: 5, Funny

    NARF!!!!!

  3. Jack Thompson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jack needs to be volunteered to be the first human test subject. If it can cure him, it'll cure anyone.

  4. Re:flowers for algernon by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

    It turns them into Nickel Metal Hydride? Hmm, that makes a fully mouse operated home generator/backup system more feasible when you can use the brainy mice as batteries while their slightly moronic brethren run around on wheels all day.

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  5. Science has to be stopped. by grub · · Score: 3, Funny


    If they cure autism, what am I supposed to do to find postal codes if Billy the office cleanup boy is cured? Look them up online?

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  6. Re:Retarded mice by sm62704 · · Score: 4, Funny

    How do they know which mice are retarded or not? Give them the cheese test?

    They see if the mice RTFA and actually understand it.

    My daughter's cat is pretty damned dumb, it moves its lips when it reads.

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  7. Re:flowers for algernon by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seriously. I read that book 15 years ago and it still stands out in my mind how sad the degradation is. It is one of my worst nightmare to eventually lose my reasoning capacities.

    LOL! ME 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  8. Re:flowers for algernon by MyLongNickName · · Score: 3, Funny

    As funny as this?

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  9. By November for the US? by svendsen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can we get this drug to the majority of the US voters before November please?

  10. Does it work in smaller doses? by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 3, Funny

    How many would you have to take before you can correctly pronounce "nuclear"? Because I can think of at least one really important person who needs to learn that already.

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  11. Wake me up when... by j.sanchez1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wake me up when they find a cure for severe retardedness. I'll buy enough for everyone at the office.

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  12. sadly too late .. by shadowmas · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... for president bush to be of use i think.

  13. Re:flowers for algernon by monopole · · Score: 3, Funny

    We could then jack them into a "matrix" of batteries while feeding them a VR version of reality. That is until the NEO mouse evolves.