Canitano Roberto, Palumbi Roberto
Division of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Division of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs Department, University Hospital of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Front Neurosci. 2021 Nov 30;15:753274. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.753274. eCollection 2021.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social and communication abnormalities. Heterogeneity in the expression and severity of the core and associated symptoms poses difficulties in classification and the overall clinical approach. Synaptic abnormalities have been observed in preclinical ASD models. They are thought to play a major role in clinical functional abnormalities and might be modified by targeted interventions. An imbalance in excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission (E/I imbalance), through altered glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, respectively, is thought to be implicated in the pathogenesis of ASD. Glutamatergic and GABAergic agents have been tested in clinical trials with encouraging results as to efficacy and tolerability. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of E/I modulators in the treatment of ASD and on the safety and efficacy of the current agents.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一组以社交和沟通异常为特征的神经发育障碍。核心症状及相关症状在表达和严重程度上的异质性给分类和整体临床治疗方法带来了困难。在临床前ASD模型中已观察到突触异常。它们被认为在临床功能异常中起主要作用，并且可能通过靶向干预而得到改善。兴奋性与抑制性神经传递失衡（E/I失衡），分别通过改变谷氨酸能和γ-氨基丁酸能神经传递，被认为与ASD的发病机制有关。谷氨酸能和γ-氨基丁酸能药物已在临床试验中进行了测试，在疗效和耐受性方面取得了令人鼓舞的结果。需要进一步研究以确认E/I调节剂在ASD治疗中的作用以及当前药物的安全性和有效性。
