[Source: Medical News Today]

A study by Stanford University investigators suggests that key features of autism reflect an imbalance in signaling from excitatory and inhibitory neurons in a portion of the forebrain, and that reversing the imbalance could alleviate some of its hallmark symptoms.

In a series of experiments conducted on a mouse model of the disorder, the scientists showed that reducing the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory signaling countered hyperactivity and deficits in social ability, two classic symptoms of autism in humans.

The study is published in Science Translational Medicine. Karl Deisseroth, professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is the study’s senior author. The lead author is former graduate student Aslihan Selimbeyoglu, PhD.

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