Toward a better understanding of neuronal migration deficits in autism spectrum disorders
Date
2019Journal
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental BiologyPublisher
Frontiers Media S.A.Type
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Newborn neurons in developing brains actively migrate from germinal zones to designated regions before being wired into functional circuits. The motility and trajectory of migrating neurons are regulated by both extracellular factors and intracellular signaling cascades. Defects in the molecular machinery of neuronal migration lead to mis-localization of affected neurons and are considered as an important etiology of multiple developmental disorders including epilepsy, dyslexia, schizophrenia (SCZ), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the mechanisms that link neuronal migration deficits to the development of these diseases remain elusive. This review focuses on neuronal migration deficits in ASD. From a translational perspective, we discuss (1) whether neuronal migration deficits are general neuropathological characteristics of ASD; (2) how the phenotypic heterogeneity of neuronal migration disorders is generated; (3) how neuronal migration deficits lead to functional defects of brain circuits; and (4) how therapeutic intervention of neuronal migration deficits can be a potential treatment for ASD. Copyright 2019 Pan, Wu and Yuan.Sponsors
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31771116 and 31871501), Simons Foundation (296143), and East China Normal University (11300-120215-10452).Keyword
Autism-spectrum disordersBrain structural abnormalities
E/I balance
Mechanism-based therapy
Neuronal migration
Identifier to cite or link to this item
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85072921591&doi=10.3389%2ffcell.2019.00205&partnerID=40&md5=5af7cb33dc40e858aee7c4a6c4ac8fd0; http://hdl.handle.net/10713/11167ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3389/fcell.2019.00205