The too little brain inhibition Autism theory

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Researchers have used transcranial magnetic stimulation to show that people with fragile X syndrome have weak ‘inhibitory’ signals, those that dampen neuronal activity in the brain. The findings were presented Sunday at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Fragile X syndrome is caused by a mutation in the gene FMR1. People with the syndrome have intellectual disability and, often, features of autism.

The new work supports the idea that autism and related conditions stem from too little inhibition in the brain. Some data in animals extend this theory to fragile syndrome. Mice missing FMR1, for example, show poor inhibition and highly excitable neurons1,2. But no one has garnered data showing this imbalance people with fragile X.