Lovastatin corrects excess protein synthesis and prevents epileptogenesis in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome.
Many neuropsychiatric symptoms of fragile X syndrome (FXS) are believed to be a consequence of altered regulation of protein synthesis at synapses. We discovered that lovastatin, a drug that is widely prescribed for the treatment of high cholesterol, can correct excess hippocampal protein synthesis in the mouse model of FXS and can prevent one of the robust functional consequences of increased protein synthesis in FXS, epileptogenesis. These data suggest that lovastatin is potentially disease modifying and could be a viable prophylactic treatment for epileptogenesis in FXS.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Emily K
EK
Osterweil
Shih-Chieh
SC
Chuang
Alexander A
AA
Chubykin
Michael
M
Sidorov
Riccardo
R
Bianchi
Robert K S
RK
Wong
Mark F
MF
Bear
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005600:Fragile X Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D008148:Lovastatin