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document
Effect of propranolol on word fluency in autism . OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND Autism is characterized by repetitive behaviors and impaired socialization and communication . Preliminary evidence showed possible language benefits in autism from the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol . Earlier studies in other populations suggested propranolol might benefit performance on tasks involving a search of semantic and associative networks under certain conditions . Therefore , we wished to determine whether this benefit of propranolol includes an effect on semantic fluency in autism . METHODS A sample of 14 high-functioning adolescent and adult participants with autism and 14 matched controls were given letter and category word fluency tasks on 2 separate testing sessions ; 1 test was given 60 minutes after the administration of 40 mg propranolol orally , and 1 test was given after placebo , administered in a double-blinded , counterbalanced manner . RESULTS Participants with autism were significantly impaired compared with controls on both fluency tasks . Propranolol significantly improved performance on category fluency , but not letter fluency among autism participants . No drug effect was observed among controls . Expected drug effects on heart rate and blood pressure were observed in both the groups . CONCLUSIONS Results are consistent with a selective beneficial effect of propranolol on flexibility of access to semantic and associative networks in autism , with no observed effect on phonological networks . Further study will be necessary to understand potential clinical implications of this finding .
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Intervention_Pharmacological
propranolol
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Outcome_Mental
improved performance on category fluency
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Outcome_Physical
on heart rate and blood pressure
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Participant_Condition
autism