Just recently, some researchers from South Korea have been able to successfully identify a molecular network of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that is cell-specific, as noted by SciTechDaily. This clue may have the potential to further push the treatment of ASD.
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
SciTechDaily notes that Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition that surfaces during one's early childhood. Hallmarks of this development disability include impairments when it comes to socialized communication as well as behaviors that are related to interaction. This leads to a narrowed range of activities, interests, and patterns of behavior. Those with ASD also tend to have behaviors that are repetitive.
Mayo Clinic also notes how the disorder is largely linked to brain development. These differences, thus, translate to differences in how the person with ASD communicates and interacts.
The term "spectrum" also shows that the range and severity of the condition may vary from case to case. Currently, ASD covers other conditions that used to be separate, including Asperger's syndrome. There are still those who use the term Asperger's syndrome, which generally refers to mild ASD.
Several ASD patients also have disorders pertaining to behavior. At times, they also face other disabilities related to development.
Though ASD has no current cure, treatment that is extensive and early could make a huge difference for children with the condition.
No Molecular-Scale Method of Treating ASD
Due to having no way to accurately diagnose the condition molecularly, diagnosis of the said condition tends to happen at a fairly late time. Even if improvements have been observed when being treated with behavioral management therapy, there are not enough effective treatments on a molecular scale.
The team behind the research published in the Molecular Psychiatry journal made use of a defect model of Cntnap2. This is a disorder mouse model that is spectral and previously established by a team from Seoul National University. The model is designed to get the tissue from the prefrontal cortex and conduct wide-scale analysis that is spectrometry-based and quantitative metabolomic and proteomic.
Other than this, through comparing and studying previously documented ASD big data, the scientists were able to verify that issues take place across networks such as synapses and metabolism of neurons that are excitable.
SciTechDaily notes how professor Kim Min-Sik from the Department of New Biology notes that the "multi-omics integrated analysis technology" that was created through the recent research furthered the understanding of ASD's pathology and has enabled the finding of an integrated network that ranges from cell differentiation on a molecular scale that is brought about by a specific ASM gene to biometric data. He notes how they are looking for ASD's core and primary network and come up with treatment aims through performing integrated studies of different models.
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