red wine, which increases PTEN expression. Our data also suggest that treatment of the exact same cancer must be personalized for males and for females."
Study Looks at Buspirone as Autism Influencer University Hospitals Rainbow Babies
& Children's Hospital is part of a multicenter clinical study that, for the first time, is looking at using a medica- tion to impact brain development and potentially lessen the severity of autism. The study, "A Randomized, Placebo-
Controlled, Double-Masked Clinical Trial of Buspirone in the Treatment of 2-6 Year Old Children with Autistic Disorder," will evaluate the effects of twice-daily oral buspirone on core features of autism. The study tests the hypothesis that
the use of buspirone to influence sero- tonin levels can lessen the severity of autism by impacting the core features of the condition. "We are not using it to treat the
comorbid behaviors, such as anxiety, irritability or aggression, but to treat autism itself," says Max Wiznitzer, MD, a child neurologist in the Division
of Pediatric Neurology at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "It is the first time we are using a medication to improve the neurological wiring of the brain in children." Early identification of autism today
means potentially removing unwanted behaviors. Using medication as a bio- marker for autism can mean drastically reducing the severity of the disorder. The approach, Dr. Wiznitzer says, improves outcomes for children and lowers the cost to society. ■
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 MDNEWS.COM MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 31
