“This might represent the first treatable form of autism”

http://www.nature.com/news/amino-acid-deficiency-underlies-rare-form-of-autism-1.11375
A rare, hereditary form of autism has been found — and it may be treatable with protein supplements.

Genome sequencing of six children with autism has revealed mutations in a gene that stops several essential amino acids being depleted. Mice lacking this gene developed neurological problems related to autism that were reversed by dietary changes, a paper published today in Science shows1.


Some children with autism have low blood levels of amino acids that can't be made in the body.
PHANIE/SUPERSTOCK
“This might represent the first treatable form of autism,” says Joseph Gleeson, a child neurologist at the University of California, San Diego, who led the study. “That is both heartening to families with autism, and also I think revealing of the underlying mechanisms of autism.”