Autism breakthrough as scientists find cheap drug backed by longevity experts may reverse symptoms

A cheap drug touted by longevity enthusiasts could help to reverse the symptoms of autism, a study has claimed.

Rapamycin is an antibiotic approved by the FDA in 1999 to prevent organ transplant rejection. In recent years, however, biohackers have also latched onto the drug amid claims it could slow down aging.

Some studies showed it could extend the lifespan of mice by 14 percent, but others in humans have highlighted drawbacks, including blunting the effects of exercise.

Now, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles say they have found that administering just one dose of the drug may temporarily reverse symptoms of autism.

Administering the drug to adult mice with autism, they found that the rodents’ symptoms disappeared in just two hours.

Dr Harley Kornblum, a neuroscientist who led the research, said: ‘The level of functional normalization achieved over this short time suggests new mechanisms by which possible treatments may act.

‘It suggests adult brains may be more adaptable than we assumed, even when the underlying structural changes from early development are still there.’

Autism was once rigidly defined as a serious developmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and the struggle to learn or understand language.

But in recent years, experts have loosened the definition. Symptoms include repetitive words or behaviors, struggling to vary routine and difficulties in social situations.

An estimated five million American adults, or one in 20, suffer from the condition, now called autism spectrum disorder, while one in 31 children also have it.

Doctors typically treat patients using speech and language therapy to help them understand and manage atypical behaviors.

Many are also prescribed medications, such as those used for anxiety and depression, which scientists say can help to ease social difficulties.