An antibiotic regularly used to treat acne and strep throat is one of a handful of drugs that researchers are discovering could alter outcomes for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

For Chase Brown, 14, the medication known as minocycline appeared to make a difference. Since taking the drug, the boy who has fragile X syndrome pays more attention in school, exhibits a greater ability to have back and forth conversation with others and his behavior meltdowns have subsided, his mother says.

The best part: unlike antipsychotics, Chase’s mom says the medication is not sedating her son.

And he isn’t alone. In a small study in which Chase participated, 70 percent of individuals with fragile X responded to minocycline, seeing similar improvements in communication, behavior and learning.

The drug is one of a few undergoing trials currently, which researchers say could ultimately lead to a development once thought impossible: the reversal of intellectual disability. Moreover, if successful, researchers say the medications could also have implications for those with autism and other conditions, reports The Los Angeles Times. To read more click here.

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