Kas Martien J, Modi Meera E, Saxe Michael D, Smith Daniel G
Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2014 Mar;231(6):1147-65. doi: 10.1007/s00213-014-3464-y. Epub 2014 Feb 13.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by core differences and impairments in social behavioral functioning. There are no approved medications for improving social cognition and behavior in ASD, and the underlying mechanisms needed to discover safer, more effective medications are unclear.
In this review, we diagram the basic neurocircuitry governing social behaviors in order to provide a neurobiological framework for the origins of the core social behavioral symptoms of ASD. In addition, we discuss recent technological innovations in research tools that provide unprecedented observation of cellular morphology and activity deep within the intact brain and permit the precise control of discrete brain regions and specific cell types at distinct developmental stages.
The use of new technologies to reveal the neural circuits underlying social behavioral impairments associated with ASD is advancing our understanding of the brain changes underlying ASD and enabling the discovery of novel and effective therapeutic interventions.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种异质性神经发育疾病，其特征在于社交行为功能存在核心差异和缺陷。目前尚无获批用于改善ASD社交认知和行为的药物，而发现更安全、更有效药物所需的潜在机制尚不清楚。
在本综述中，我们绘制了控制社交行为的基本神经回路图，以便为ASD核心社交行为症状的起源提供一个神经生物学框架。此外，我们还讨论了研究工具方面的最新技术创新，这些创新为完整大脑内部深处的细胞形态和活动提供了前所未有的观察，并允许在不同发育阶段对离散脑区和特定细胞类型进行精确控制。
利用新技术揭示与ASD相关的社交行为障碍背后的神经回路，正在增进我们对ASD潜在脑变化的理解，并有助于发现新的有效治疗干预措施。
