Memantine to Treat Social Impairment in Youths With Autism Spectrum Disorder A Randomized Clinical Trial
This small, placebo-controlled clinical trial suggests that memantine improved social impairments in youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who do not have intellectual disability. The treatment was particularly effective in participants with abnormally high glutamate levels in a specific brain region, indicating these levels could serve as a biomarker for predicting treatment response. While promising, the study's small, unrepresentative sample and reliance on caregiver reports limit broad generalizability.