scholarly journals Psilocybin rescues sociability deficits in an animal model of autism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Mollinedo-Gajate ◽  
Chenchen Song ◽  
Marcos Sintes-Rodriguez ◽  
Tobias Whelan ◽  
Anaïs Soula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Valproic Acid ◽  
Animal Model ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Therapeutic Agent ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Core ◽  
Acute Response ◽  
The Social

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by core deficits in social interaction. The classic serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin has been suggested as a therapeutic agent that may ameliorate in the core symptomology of ASD. We found that the acute response to psilocybin was attenuated in the prenatal valproic acid exposure mouse model of ASD, and importantly, psilocybin rescued the social behavioural abnormalities present in these ASD model mice.

scholarly journals What We Have Learned about Autism Spectrum Disorder from Valproic Acid

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Chomiak ◽  
Nathanael Turner ◽  
Bin Hu
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Valproic Acid ◽  
Animal Model ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Epidemiological Evidence ◽  
Growing Body

Two recent epidemiological investigations in children exposed to valproic acid (VPA) treatment in utero have reported a significant risk associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in particular. Parallel to this work, there is a growing body of animal research literature using VPA as an animal model of ASD. In this focused review we first summarize the epidemiological evidence linking VPA to ASD and then comment on two important neurobiological findings linking VPA to ASD clinicopathology, namely, accelerated or early brain overgrowth and hyperexcitable networks. Improving our understanding of how the drug VPA can alter early development of neurological systems will ultimately improve our understanding of ASD.

scholarly journals CBD-enriched cannabis for autism spectrum disorder: an experience of a single center in Turkey and reviews of the literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serap Bilge ◽  
Barış Ekici
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Average Dose ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Symptoms

Abstract Introduction Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication, social interaction, restricted interest, and repetitive behaviors. Although more cases are being diagnosed, no drugs are approved to treat the core symptoms or cognitive and behavioral problems associated with autism. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an effective and safe treatment. Objective In this study, we aim to share our 2-year experience with CBD-enriched cannabis treatment in autism and review the latest studies. Materials and methods The study included 33 (27 males, six females) children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who were followed up between January 2018 and August 2020. The mean age was 7.7 ± 5.5 years. The average daily dosage of cannabidiol (CBD) was 0.7 mg/kg/day (0.3–2 mg/kg/day). The median duration of treatment was 6.5 months (3–28 months). The preparations used in this study contained full-spectrum CBD and trace elements tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of less than 3%. Results The outcomes were evaluated before and after treatment based on clinical interviews. At each follow-up visit, parents were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the CBD-enriched cannabis treatment. According to the parents’ reports, no change in daily life activity was reported in 6 (19.35%) patients. The main improvements of the treatment were as follows: a decrease in behavioral problems was reported in 10 patients (32.2%), an increase in expressive language was reported in 7 patients (22.5%), improved cognition was reported in 4 patients (12,9%), an increase in social interaction was reported in 3 patients (9.6%), and a decrease in stereotypes was reported in 1 patient (3.2%). The parents reported improvement in cognition among patients who adhered to CBD-enriched cannabis treatment for over two years. The antipsychotic drug could be stopped only in one patient who showed mild ASD symptoms. No change could be made in other drug use and doses. Additionally, this study includes an extensive review of the literature regarding CBD treatment in autism spectrum disorder. According to recent studies, the average dose of CBD was 3.8±2.6 mg/kg/day. The ratio of CBD to THC in the used preparations was 20:1. The most significant improvements were seen in the behavioral problems reported in 20–70% of the patients. Conclusion Using lower doses of CBD and trace THC seems to be promising in managing behavioral problems associated with autism. In addition, this treatment could be effective in managing the core symptoms and cognitive functions. No significant side effects were seen at the low doses of CBD-enriched cannabis when compared to other studies.

scholarly journals Autism-like behaviours with transient histone hyperacetylation in mice treated prenatally with valproic acid

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunsuke Kataoka ◽  
Kazuhiro Takuma ◽  
Yuta Hara ◽  
Yuko Maeda ◽  
Yukio Ago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Valproic Acid ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Apoptotic Cell ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Prenatally Exposed ◽  
Histone Deacetylase Inhibition ◽  
Histone Hyperacetylation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cortical Pathology

Abstract Maternal use of valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy has been implicated in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorders in children, and rodents prenatally exposed to VPA showed behavioural alterations similar to those observed in humans with autism. However, the exact mechanism for VPA-induced behavioural alterations is not known. To study this point, we examined the effects of prenatal exposure to VPA and valpromide, a VPA analog lacking histone deacetylase inhibition activity, on behaviours, cortical pathology and histone acetylation levels in mice. Mice exposed to VPA at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), but not at E9 and E14.5, displayed social interaction deficits, anxiety-like behaviour and memory deficits at age 4–8 wk. In contrast to male mice, the social interaction deficits (a decrease in sniffing behaviour) were not observed in female mice at age 8 wk. The exposure to VPA at E12.5 decreased the number of Nissl-positive cells in the middle and lower layers of the prefrontal cortex and in the lower layers of the somatosensory cortex at age 8 wk. Furthermore, VPA exposure caused a transient increase in acetylated histone levels in the embryonic brain, followed by an increase in apoptotic cell death in the neocortex and a decrease in cell proliferation in the ganglionic eminence. In contrast, prenatal exposure to valpromide at E12.5 did not affect the behavioural, biochemical and histological parameters. Furthermore, these findings suggest that VPA-induced histone hyperacetylation plays a key role in cortical pathology and abnormal autism-like behaviours in mice.

scholarly journals Behavioral aspects and neurobiological properties underlying medical cannabis treatment in Shank3 mouse model of autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Poleg ◽  
Emad Kourieh ◽  
Angela Ruban ◽  
Guy Shapira ◽  
Noam Shomron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Mutant Mice ◽  
Medical Cannabis ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disease ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Symptoms

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease with a wide spectrum of manifestation. The core symptoms of ASD are persistent deficits in social communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These are often accompanied by intellectual disabilities. At present, there is no designated effective treatment for the core symptoms and co-morbidities of ASD. Recently, interest is rising in medical cannabis as a treatment for ASD, with promising clinical data. However, there is a notable absence of basic pre-clinical research in this field. In this study, we investigate the behavioral and biochemical effects of long-term oral treatment with CBD-enriched medical cannabis oil in a human mutation-based Shank3 mouse model of ASD. Our findings show that this treatment alleviates anxiety and decreases repetitive grooming behavior by over 70% in treated mutant mice compared to non-treated mutant mice. Furthermore, we were able to uncover the involvement of CB1 receptor (CB1R) signaling in the Avidekel oil mechanism, alongside a mitigation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glutamate concentrations. Subsequently, RNA sequencing (RNA seq) of cerebellar brain samples revealed changes in mRNA expression of several neurotransmission-related genes post-treatment. Finally, our results question the relevancy of CBD enrichment of medical cannabis for treating the core symptoms of ASD, and emphasize the importance of the THC component for alleviating deficits in repetitive and social behaviors in ASD.

scholarly journals Correlation and Predictive Ability Between Sensory Characteristics and Social Interaction of Children in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhe Zhai ◽  
Lili Fan ◽  
Yong Zhou ◽  
Yutong Li ◽  
Xiaoxue Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Sensory Characteristics ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Level

Abstract Background: As a kind of neurodevelopmental disorder, the deficiency of social interaction and communication ability is the core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ASD usually has sensory abnormalities, which may be an important influencing factor of social function. Here, the aim of the current study is to explore the abnormal sensory characteristics of ASD children and the correlation between social behavior. And further clarify the predictive effect of sensory expression on ASD social ability.Methods: A case-control study was conducted, with children aged 3 to 10 years including ASD and typical development (TD) as subjects. We used Short Sensory Profile (SSP) questionnaire to evaluate the sensory characteristics in ASD group and TD group. And Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was employed to assess the social function of ASD. The differences of SSP scores between two groups of children were compared, and the correlation between SSP in ASD group and SRS was further analyzed. Furthermore, by constructing random forest classification model and support vector machine classification model, the predictive ability of each perception on social level is discussed.Results: Significant differences were found between ASD children and TD children in the performance of each sensory field. The abnormal sensory rate of children in ASD group is as high as 91.4%, and 74% of them are accompanied by sensory disorders in multiple dimensions.It is worth noting that there is a significant negative correlation between the scores of ASD group children in all dimensions of SSP and the scores of SRS scale. Evaluation and comparison results of full-feature and 7-feature models show that the random forest model and SVM model with all-feature factors have higher sensitivity, while the random forest model with 7-feature factors has the highest specificity. Moreover, the maximum of area value under (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve between the four models up to 0.859, suggest that the good prediction effect of the models.Conclusion: Our results suggest autism children have obvious abnormalities in many sensory fields, and there is a significant correlation between this atypical sensory performance and social function. The social level of this group can be well predicted by their sensory characteristics.

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