Trisomy 21, in which an extra copy of the 21st human gene is coded for in a person's cells, is the root cause of Down's Syndrome. Down's people tend to have lower-than-average cognitive abilities, but new works suggests that this particular symptom of the syndrome may be avoidable if certain brain-stimulating drugs are given to Down's patients as children. The cognitive effects of Down's seem to be associated with the neurons of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that forms and processes memory. In Down's, the hippocampus develops much more slowly than in unaffected children - so giving a drug that stimulates the hippocampus may improve the cognitive function. Early work with drugs intended for Alzheimer's sufferers appears promising.
Read more here: A Drug for Down Syndrome via NYTimes.com
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