Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

School-age girls with fragile X syndrome show significantly poorer cognitive function and academic performance relative to age- and IQ-matched girls without the disease, a new U.S. study reports. The fragile X group showed impairments in several cognitive skills, including nonverbal reasoning, visual pattern recognition, attention, memory, and math skills.

Signs of hyperarousal, or overreactions to sensory stimuli, and abnormal processing of sensory information — including difficulty with eye gaze and sensitivity to touch and certain sounds — are highly prevalent among people with fragile X syndrome, a new study reports. Such overreactions and resulting behavioral difficulties were found…

KGK Science, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wellbeing Digital Sciences, has entered into an agreement with Nova Mentis Life Science to conduct a Phase 2a clinical trial testing the efficacy of psilocybin as a potential treatment for fragile X syndrome. The open-label trial will be the…

Tetra Therapeutics has announced the opening of its first site for a Phase 3 clinical trial assessing the safety and effectiveness of BPN14770 (zatolmilast), its investigational oral therapy for fragile X syndrome. The Suburban Research Associates, a clinical site in Pennsylvania, is now recruiting male…

Tetra Therapeutics has launched three pivotal Phase 2b/3 studies to continue to assess the safety and effectiveness of BPN14770, its investigational oral therapy for fragile X syndrome. The results, if they’re in agreement with previous positive data from a Phase 2 trial, will support Tetra’s application…

Nova Mentis is teaming up with the University of Central Florida (UCF) Research Foundation to develop a new test that will use saliva samples to measure the levels of serotonin — a key neurotransmitter — in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including fragile X syndrome, the company said…

Zygel, an experimental cannabidiol gel developed by Zynerba Pharmaceuticals to ease abnormal behaviors in people with fragile X syndrome, was well tolerated and effective, including in patients with severe disease, according to a new interim analysis of an open-label extension study. The poster, titled “Long-Term Safety and Sustained Efficacy…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to NeuroNascent’s NNI-351 for the treatment of fragile X syndrome. NNI-351, given orally, is able to penetrate the brain, where it has been shown to boost the proliferation and growth of immature progenitor cells into mature…

Healx has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Ovid Therapeutics to develop and commercialize gaboxadol in a potential combination treatment for fragile X syndrome and other disorders. The announcement follows Ovid’s decision to discontinue the development of gaboxadol (previously called OV101), despite it being deemed safe and well-tolerated in…

Nova Mentis and Mycrodose Therapeutics have teamed up to test whether psychedelic treatments, such as Nova’s psilocybin — a potential behavioral therapy for fragile X syndrome — can be delivered via the skin using Mycrodose’s transdermal technology. The first studies assessing the diffusion of psychedelic compounds through the…