Common Mechanisms of Excitatory and Inhibitory Imbalance in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Title:Common Mechanisms of Excitatory and Inhibitory Imbalance in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Volume: 15 Issue: 2

Author(s): R. Gao and P. Penzes

Affiliation:

Keywords: Autism, dendritic spine, E/I imbalance, GABAergic interneuron, glutamatergic, mTOR, NMDAR, schizophrenia.

Abstract: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Schizophrenia (SCZ) are cognitive disorders with complex genetic architectures but overlapping behavioral phenotypes, which suggests common pathway perturbations. Multiple lines of evidence implicate imbalances in excitatory and inhibitory activity (E/I imbalance) as a shared pathophysiological mechanism. Thus, understanding the molecular underpinnings of E/I imbalance may provi de essential insight into the etiology of these disorders and may uncover novel targets for future drug discovery. Here, we review key genetic, physiological, neuropathological, functional, and pathway studies that suggest alterations to excitatory/inhibitory circuits are keys to ASD and SCZ pathogenesis.

Cite this article as:

Gao R. and Penzes P., Common Mechanisms of Excitatory and Inhibitory Imbalance in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Current Molecular Medicine 2015; 15 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1566524015666150303003028