[LS1-1A-2] Autism Spectrum Disorders and Epilepsy: A Mechanistic Update
The rates of epilepsy in persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the occurrence of autistic traits in individuals with epilepsy are significant and suggest common genetic, anatomic, or biochemical substrates. Each of these disorders is genetically heterogeneous, suggesting that the final phenotype may be the result of several underlying pathologies leveraging some common final pathways. Certain disorders like the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) display extremely high prevalence of both epilepsy (est. 90%) as well as ASD (up to 50%). In this disorder, much progress is being made in the understanding of the molecular defect and its relationship to the phenotype, and mechanism-based clinical trials are underway.
In addition to genetic causes, environmental causes such as exposure of the fetus to maternal inflammation may also result in coexisting autism and epilepsy. Laboratory studies in such models provide interesting glimpses into potential treatments for the behavioral abnormalities in ASD, which may also be of interest in treating ASD from other causes. This presentation will address selected models (TSC for genetic and a model of inflammation induced by poly-IC, a viral mimic, in our laboratory) and discovered pathways (relationship to oxytocin signaling) that show promise of novel therapeutics to update the audience on developments in this field.
In addition to genetic causes, environmental causes such as exposure of the fetus to maternal inflammation may also result in coexisting autism and epilepsy. Laboratory studies in such models provide interesting glimpses into potential treatments for the behavioral abnormalities in ASD, which may also be of interest in treating ASD from other causes. This presentation will address selected models (TSC for genetic and a model of inflammation induced by poly-IC, a viral mimic, in our laboratory) and discovered pathways (relationship to oxytocin signaling) that show promise of novel therapeutics to update the audience on developments in this field.