Young girls who have Rett syndrome gradually stop responding to and interacting with their parents at about six to 18 months of age.

BBC: News | Health | Scientists crack secret of child disease

Rosie McLoughlin, 14, who had Rett syndrome, died at her home in Liverpool in the early hours surrounded by her relatives, a family spokesman said.

BBC: Coleen Rooney's sister Rosie dies

Compounds in preclinical tests target cystic fibrosis (30, 000 people plus a thousand new cases per year), Huntington's disease (30, 000 cases) and Rett syndrome, a rare inherited brain disorder.

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Bethany, from Cornwall, who was diagnosed with RETT syndrome when she was a year old, had profound mental and physical disabilities, including intractable epilepsy which caused frequent seizures.

BBC: Bethany Clemens

Rett syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects just one in 12, 000 females, according to the NHS. It causes severe physical and mental disability that begins in early childhood.

BBC: Coleen Rooney's sister Rosie dies

People with Rett syndrome withdraw socially and recently scientists have found that up to 75% of patients are so anxious that a stress hormone called cortisol can be found in their urine.

ECONOMIST: Neuroscience (1)

Slow and Steady Wins the RaceJana Francis and Rett Clevenger launched Steals.com in April of 2008, well before the rise of Big Boy daily deal sites, like Groupon and Livingsocial.

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The discovery of the gene that controls Rett syndrome could lead to the development of a test to diagnose the disorder before birth and new methods to prevent the debilitating effects of the disease.

BBC: News | Health | Scientists crack secret of child disease

Although the drug is unlikely to relieve all of the symptoms of the disorder, decreasing anxiety in people with Rett syndrome may mitigate symptoms including learning difficulties, the inclination to withdraw socially and even the tendency to hyperventilate.

ECONOMIST: Neuroscience (1): Calm the anxiety, help the child | The