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“Mice that had initially shown a fear of stranger mice showed no sign of this behavior after they were treated with suramin. They behaved like ordinary mice for as long as the suramin was in their systems. After five weeks, when the suramin was effectively gone, their autistic behavior returned. Whether blocking purines will have the same effect in people needs to be tested. Moreover, suramin has a long-term toxic effect, so a safer alternative needs to be found. Nevertheless, that an autistic human could potentially be granted a normal life with a single drug is amazing. Yet, as I worked through Dr. Naviaux’s papers one thought lingered: Would an autistic savant want an ordinary life?” — Matt Kaplan
Mice that had initially shown a fear of stranger mice showed no sign of this behavior after they were treated with suramin. They behaved like ordinary mice for as long as the suramin was in their systems. After five weeks, when the suramin was effectively gone, their autistic behavior returned.
Whether blocking purines will have the same effect in people needs to be tested. Moreover, suramin has a long-term toxic effect, so a safer alternative needs to be found. Nevertheless, that an autistic human could potentially be granted a normal life with a single drug is amazing. Yet, as I worked through Dr. Naviaux’s papers one thought lingered: Would an autistic savant want an ordinary life?