Treatment during pregnancy could prevent Down's symptoms
Thursday, 27 Nov 2008 10:29
Treatment during pregnancy could prevent Down's symptoms
Women who know their unborn children have Down's syndrome may be able to receive treatment which will prevent some symptoms before giving birth, scientists claim.
A report published in New Scientist claims that treatment while a baby is still in the womb could help prevent some of the brain damage caused by the condition.
Down's syndrome is the most common learning difficulty in the UK, with some 750 babies born each year with the genetic abnormality.
The study was carried out on mice but the authors claim that it could soon be used on humans.
Researchers found that when fetal mice pups that had a syndrome similar to Down's were treated with nerve-protecting chemicals, some of the development delays that are part of the condition were removed.
Inhibiting a neurotransmitter in the mice could improve cognition and it is suggested that this could also be used in children.
The authors discovered that the mice treated also showed normal levels of another chemical normally under-produced by those suffering from Down's syndrome.
Carol Boys, chief executive of the Down's Syndrome Association, is quoted by the BBC as saying: "We welcome research that may have a positive impact on people with Down's syndrome.
"However, it must be recognised that this research doesn't herald a 'cure' or 'treatment' for Down's syndrome. We'll be following how it develops with great interest."