In addition to the new work's potential for RS, there is speculation that it could pave the way to treatments for other neurological disorders, such as learning disabilities, schizophrenia, autism and newborn encephalopathy as well as some mental retardation that has also been linked to the Mecp2 gene.

"The successful restoration of normal function demonstrated in the mouse models suggests that if we can develop therapies to address the loss of Mecp2," Baylor's Zoghbi says, "we may be able to reverse neurological damage in children and adults with Rett, autism and related neuropsychiatric disorders."

Bird is cautiously optimistic. "Our data only refers to Rett," he says, "but it makes one wonder about autism and other human brain disorders."

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