Autism Spectrum Disorder: Focus on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission.

Int J Mol Sci

Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy.

Published: March 2022

Disturbances in the glutamatergic system have been increasingly documented in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Glutamate-centered theories of ASD are based on evidence from patient samples and postmortem studies, as well as from studies documenting abnormalities in glutamatergic gene expression and metabolic pathways, including changes in the gut microbiota glutamate metabolism in patients with ASD. In addition, preclinical studies on animal models have demonstrated glutamatergic neurotransmission deficits and altered expression of glutamate synaptic proteins. At present, there are no approved glutamatergic drugs for ASD, but several ongoing clinical trials are currently focusing on evaluating in autistic patients glutamatergic pharmaceuticals already approved for other conditions. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature concerning the role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathophysiology of ASD and as a potential target for novel treatments.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998955PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms23073861DOI Listing

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