Xuejun Kong, MD;* Lichao Chen, MD, PhD; Xiaochun Wang, PhD

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects up to 1 in 88 American children and the cause is largely unknown. The latest research showed encouraging results on using metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) blockers in mice models of autism. It raised hope for innovative pharmacological intervention for this neurodevelopmental disorder and generated guarded excitement in the autism community. Further basic research is needed to understand the roles of glutamate and other neurotransmitters, such as GABA and oxytocin, in the pathophysiology of ASD. In the meantime, multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials are potentially on the horizon to curb or reverse the core symptoms of autism.

Key Words: Autism, ASD, glutamate, receptor, antagonist, animal model, oxytocin Autism, ASD, glutamate, receptor, antagonist, animal model, oxytocin

Xuejun Kong, MD;^*1 Lichao Chen, MD, PhD;² Xiaochun Wang, PhD^3
1 Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
² Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
³ Biomedical Solution, Lexington, MA
*Corresponding Author: 482 Bedford Street, Lexington, MA 02420. Tel: 781-528-2440. (Email: xkong@bidmc.harvard.edu)

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.