LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 24 (UPI) -- A neuroscientist says a project he is working on at the University of Louisville in Kentucky uses magnetism to treat individuals with autism.
Dr. Manuel Casanova said rather than providing autism sufferers with medication, his research team has been exposing patients' brains to a low-frequency magnetic field to help them in their battle against the medical condition, the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal said Tuesday.
"This therapeutic intervention is so simple and doesn't have the side effects," Casanova said.
The team's research has focused on treating 30 children to date under a four-year grant totaling $888,000.
An estimated one in every 150 children nationwide will suffer from autism, the Courier-Journal reported. Symptoms of autism include difficulty with communication and impaired social interaction skills.
Joseph Greenwell II of Evansville, Ind., whose son Joseph suffers from autism, told the newspaper the magnetism treatment has already resulted in noticeable changes in his son.
"It has really seemed to help him," Greenwell said. "He seems to take more of an interest in people. He's quicker to respond when I ask him to do something."
