Young mouse models of fragile X syndrome show a significant lag in the development of synapses, the connections between neurons, according to a study published in February in Neuron.The researchers spotted the delay in the barrel cortex, the region of the mouse sensory cortex that responds to whisker sensation. Their findings suggest that a similar mistiming may be responsible for the sensory problems — such as hypersensitivity to touch and sound — sometimes seen in people with fragile X syndrome.The study marks the first time that researchers have identified a functional synaptic problem in the development of fragile X syndrome, a genetic disease characterized by mental retardation and, often, autism."It basically awakens the field to the fact that we need to focus on earlier time points in development," says Ricardo Galvez, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who was not involved with the work. "Now we can start looking at how drugs affect abnormalities in these earlier time points, with the hope that we can somehow turn back the clock."Read more at...SFARI, March 2010.