Autism breakthrough as scientists find 44-cent pill that reverses symptoms

For years, autism has been seen as too genetically complex for one drug to make a big difference. But Yale researchers took a new approach, testing 774 FDA-approved drugs on zebrafish engineered with two autism-linked genes. One stood out: levocarnitine, a medicine already used for rare metabolic disorders.

In the study, levocarnitine appeared to improve how the fish processed and responded to their environment. Scientists stress this is not a cure, and the findings may only apply to a small group of people with specific mutations. Still, the results offer early hope that an existing, affordable drug could one day help ease some autism-related challenges.