This project proposes to study the efficacy and safety of D-cycloserine in children with autism. The central hypothesis of this project is that D-cycloserine will be efficacious in reducing certain symptoms of autism including some aspects of social impairment.~Autism is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with a prevalence of at least 0.1 %. Despite investigations into the pharmacologic treatment of autism, no drugs have been shown to consistently improve the core symptoms of the disorder, namely social and communication impairment. Pilot data has suggested that D-cycloserine, a drug that affects the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor, has efficacy for the symptom of social withdrawal in autism. In this study, children with autism will be randomly assigned to treatment with either D-cycloserine or placebo for 8 weeks. Both the subjects and investigators will be blind to treatment assignment. Subjects will be rated on a variety of clinical measures to examine the effects of D-cycloserine on social withdrawal and other symptoms of autism. Safety data including side-effects, vital signs, blood tests, and electrocardiograms will be performed at the beginning and end of the study. This study will provide important information about the effects of D-cycloserine for treating core and associated symptoms of autism. It will also greatly expand the knowledge about glutamatergic agents in autism and provide crucial information regarding the pathophysiology and future design of drug studies in autism.
This study will determine the effectiveness of D-cycloserine in reducing symptoms of autism in autistic children.