Statins can help people with learning disabilities

The latest study shows that statins, a class of cholesterol drugs, overcome the gene mutation which is cause of learning disabilities (such as neurofibromatosis 1-NF1). NF1 afflicts one in 4,000 people, about 1 million people worldwide. The disorder usually surfaces in childhood. The NF1 mutation creates hyperactive Ras protein. This protein regulates how brain cells talk to each other and his mutation disrupts cellular communication and the learning process. Statin drugs lower cholesterol and because Ras requires fat to function, less fat means less active Ras. With reduced Ras activity, the brain cells are able to communicate properly. There were number of tests performed on mice bred with the NF1 mutation and results are more than promising. They showed significant improvement in ability to pay attention and learning ability. The main advantage is that there is enough information about statins safety so there is no need to do extensive clinical trials for toxicity or safety. This really speeds the whole process. The FDA has already approved the use of the drugs in clinical trials to test the effect of statins in children and adults born with NF1. For more information please click "here":[ http://www.bio.com/newsfeatures].

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