New brain target for potential treatment of social pathology in autism spectrum disorder
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 68 children is living with an ASD, the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the U.S., with associated costs estimated at between $12 billion and $61 billion. ASD can impair empathy, the ability to share and understand the feelings of others, which is aided by the ability to read facial expression, tone of voice and other social cues. The study, led by Chicago Medical School Professor Amiel Rosenkranz, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, sheds light on the specific role of the amygdala, an often overlooked brain region, in social behavior and its pathology in autism. There are no approved pharmacological approaches that target the social impairments in ASD. The development of new approaches requires a better understanding of the neural changes that cause the main symptoms of ASD . This study is a major step toward that goal. Published Jan. 23 in the journal Nature Neuroscience , the findings change the...