Autism curable in the future?

Scientists are discovering a starting point for the medical treatment of autism

16/09/2012

Swiss researchers at the University of Basel are discovering a starting point for the treatment of autism. So far, the developmental disorder was considered incurable, but in experiments with mice, the scientists led by Peter Scheiffele from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel could not only prove that the failure of a particular gene has a significant impact on the development of autism, but also that the impairments are reversible.

„A number of rare mutations are associated with autism,“ The researchers report to Peter Scheiffele in the journal „Science“. One of them is the failure of the neuroligin-3 gene, which contributes to the production of a protein of the same name. Genetically engineered mice that have been depleted of the neuroligin-3 gene have exhibited typical patterns of autism, Swiss researchers report. This is due to a defect in the signal transmission between the brain cells, which affects the function and adaptability of the brain circuits. However, the findings are not only the cause of research but may also provide a starting point for the drug treatment of autism.

Glutamate receptor responsible for brain developmental disorder
As part of their study, the researchers at the University of Basel switched off the gene Neuroligin-3 in the mice and then checked the development of the synapses in the brain of the rodents. Here they noted typical autism patterns. These negative effects on the brain of the animals are due to the increased production of a specific glutamate receptor, which plays an important role in signal transmission between the brain cells, Scheiffele and colleagues report. An overproduction of the glutamate docking site prevents the adaptation of the brain circuits in learning processes and thus permanently disturbs the normal development and function of the brain. In the mice, however, the malfunction or overproduction of the glutamate receptor was reversible. As soon as the scientists re-activated the gene and the formation of the protein neuroligin-3 in the mice, the nerve cells also produced fewer glutamate docking sites, which led to a normalization of the brain circuits or the disappearance of autism-typical structural defects in the brain.

Drug-based autism therapy possible?
Here, the researchers also see a starting point for a pharmacological autism therapy. The glutamate receptors could be a potential pharmacological target, the experts at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel report. By influencing the glutamate docking site, autism may also be present or even reversed in humans. This would be a groundbreaking advance in the treatment of autism, because so far the developmental disorder is not curable, but can only be alleviated by elaborate pedagogical and therapeutic methods in their symptoms. Thus, the affected remain in their social behavior usually permanently impaired and have difficulty finding their way around the world alone. If the two Basel research groups currently working on the European Union-funded project (EU-AIMS) are successful, it will soon be possible to develop a therapeutic substance that contributes to the inhibition or blockage of glutamate receptors and thus to the autism Counteracts symptoms. Until then, however, there is still some research to do to exploit the discovered pharmacological target for autism therapy. (Fp)

Read about autism:
Psychotropic drugs in drinking water cause autism
Genetic mutation in autism due to sperm
Solvents provoke autism in children
Study: Autism already detectable in babies

Image: Dieter Schütz