There is no cure for the condition.
In the study, published in Nature Communications, scientists injected autistic adult mice with a solution containing five milligrams of rapamycin.
Within two hours, they found the mice displayed fewer repetitive behaviors, such as persistently grooming or running in a circle in an open space.
This reduction lasted about 72 hours, they said, before the mice reverted to their previous behavior.
After five weeks of injecting the mice with 5mg of rapamycin daily, the researchers also found that the effect of the drug subsided.
Because the response was so quick, researchers said rapamycin had not rewired the brain. Instead, they suggested it had likely calmed dysfunctional or misfiring neurons which can drive autism.
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Tests showed mice that took rapamycin had less abnormal brain activity.
The study was not carried out in humans, meaning it is not clear what impact the drug may have in people with autism.
Researchers said further tests were needed before it could be recommended as a treatment for autism.
But they suggested that the results opened the door to potential new treatments for the condition.
The researchers added in the release: ‘The study did not identify rapamycin as a viable treatment for [autism] symptoms in humans given its temporary effects and potential for toxicity from repeated doses.
‘Instead, researchers said the drug’s effects revealed new therapeutic targets for the development of future treatments.’
