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Replacing the vital compound pleiotrophin, missing from the brain tissues of those with an extra 21st chromosome, shows a promise of restoring critical intellectual functionality by mending flexible synaptic connections even after neural development appears to be complete..

Neuroscientists at the University of Virginia and California’s Salk Institute made this discovery in a mouse Down Syndrome model. The researchers discovered that pleiotrophin, normally abundant during early brain development, is present at lower levels in those with Down syndrome. When they restore it in adult Down Syndrome mice using genetic engineering, critical neural function increases in the hippocampus, a key learning and memory center, and overall brain plasticity improves.

Down syndrome affects about 1 in 700 American newborns condemning them to learning and memory challenges and a higher risk of other health problems throughout life. This exciting result in a pre-clinical study challenges the long-held belief that meaningful brain repair must occur before birth and opens the door to future therapies aimed at improving quality of life for those with Down Syndrome at any stage of life.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251217082505.htm

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01071-X?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S221112472501071X?showall=true

#downsyndrome #pleiotrophin #genetherapy #intelligence