New therapeutic target may transform autism spectrum disorder treatment according to a recent study.
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Developmental Dopaminergic Signaling Modulates Neural Circuit Formation and Contributes to Autism Spectrum Disorder-Related Phenotypes
Go to source). Lead investigators Lingyan Xing, PhD, and Gang Chen, PhD, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and the Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Nantong University, explains, “While dopamine is commonly recognized as a neurotransmitter, its significance in the developmental aspects of autism is largely unexplored. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial roles of dopamine and serotonin in development and their importance in constructing neural circuits.”
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Nearly 40% of individuals with ASD are nonverbal, relying on alternative communication methods.
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“In addition, studies have indicated that the use of dopamine-related drugs during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of autism in children. Armed with these tantalizing clues, we embarked on a mission to bridge the gap between dopamine’s known functions and its potential impact on neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism. Our quest was to uncover a novel therapeutic target that could revolutionize how we approach autism treatment.” ![twitter](https://images.medindia.net/icons/news/social/twitter.png)
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Investigators studied the role of disrupted dopaminergic signaling in the etiology of ASD by integrating human brain RNA sequencing transcriptome analysis and a zebrafish model, recognized for its high degree of conservation with humans.
Novel Dopamine Link Discovered
To analyze the developmental deficits in ASD systematically, two large publicly available data sets were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus database and RNA sequencing data from Arkinglab.Transcriptome analysis of human brains revealed significant correlations between changes in dopaminergic signaling pathways and neural developmental signaling in patients with autism.
This suggests a potential link between disrupted developmental dopamine signaling and autism pathology.
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They found that perturbations in developmental dopaminergic signaling led to neural circuit abnormalities and behavioral phenotypes reminiscent of autism in zebrafish larvae.
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Dr. Chen comments, “We were surprised by the extent of the impact that dopaminergic signaling has on neuronal specification in zebrafish, potentially laying the groundwork for circuit disruption in autism-related phenotype. Furthermore, the unexpected involvement of integrins as downstream targets of dopaminergic signaling provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders.”
Dr. Xing concludes, "This research sheds light on the role of dopamine in neural circuit formation during early development, specifically in the context of autism. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to novel therapeutic interventions targeting dopaminergic signaling pathways to improve outcomes in individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.”
ASD is a developmental disorder that usually manifests itself in early childhood. Although clinical outcomes vary greatly from case to case, autism is characterized by both a restricted interest in social interaction and repetitive behavior.
This coincides with disruptions in
Reference:
- Developmental Dopaminergic Signaling Modulates Neural Circuit Formation and Contributes to Autism Spectrum Disorder–Related Phenotypes - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002944024000865?via%3Dihub)
Source-Eurekalert