Antibiotic Promising for Children With Fragile X Syndrome

Parents of children with fragile X syndrome reported improvements in their children's attention spans and communication skills as well as decreased anxiety after the children were given the antibiotic minocycline, researchers said Tuesday. The results were strictly observational and were uncontrolled, but they suggest the drug -- which is already used widely for treating teen acne -- might also have a use for the fragile X condition. The results were sufficiently promising that the National Fragile X Foundation is now sponsoring a preliminary clinical trial.