Fragile X is a genetic condition that affects one in 4,000 males and one in 6,000 females. It’s linked to variations in the gene that makes a protein called FMRP. Symptoms may include intellectual disability, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder, among others. Up to a third of people with fragile X also have autism. There is no cure.
In a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison showed that the absence of FMRP can unbalance critical molecular processes within adult brain cells and lead to the neural and cognitive changes seen in fragile X. Read the full story (written by CMB alumnus Rup Chakravorty) on UW News.