New drug may increase social interaction in autism patients
Researchers have identified a drug target
that has the potential to increase social interaction in individuals with some
forms of autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
Although medications are available for
treating symptoms sometimes associated with ASD, such as anxiety, depression,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and irritability, there are no
medications currently approved for treatment of the core social interaction
deficits that characterise the disorder.
"This research could significantly change our
understanding of the causes and brain changes in autism and could lead to new
treatment approaches for the harder-to-treat social aspects of ASD,"
said senior author
Edward Brodkin, Associate Professor at Perelman School of Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.
Previous studies on human genetics have implicated
a little-studied gene called Protocadherin 10 (PCDH10) in ASD.
The PCDH10 protein is expressed at high
levels in particular brain regions, including the amygdala, which mediates
emotion and motivation and is implicated in the social deficits of ASD.
When one of the two copies of the PCDH10 gene
was deleted in mice, these animals showed reduced social approach behaviour,
which resembled the social withdrawal of humans with ASD.
This effect was seen more prominently in
males than in females, which is consistent with the male predominance of ASD in
humans.
In addition, these male mice had anomalies in
the structure and function of amygdala circuitry, as well as lower levels of
certain types of glutamate receptor subunits (called NMDA receptor subunits) in
the amygdala.
Social approach deficits in these male mice
were rescued by giving them a medication called d-cycloserine, said the study
published the journal Biological Psychiatry.
"By enhancing NMDA-receptor signaling,
the mice went from social avoidance to more typical social approach
behaviour," Brodkin said.
This finding in the mouse model is also
consistent with preliminary clinical studies in humans, the researchers said.
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