孤独症谱系障碍的神经环路机制

Neural circuits underlying the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders

孤独症谱系障碍是一种神经发育障碍性疾病,其患病率呈逐年上升趋势。越来越多的研究发现神经环路异常与孤独症谱系障碍发病机制关系密切,目前对神经环路的深入研究已成为探索孤独症谱系障碍发病机制的一个研究热点。文章就近年来结构连接和功能连接的神经环路与孤独症谱系障碍发病机制的研究进展作一综述。首先,结构连接研究显示皮质-基底神经节-丘脑环路是重复行为的基础,其子通路和子通路中的动态分子调控异常是重复行为的原因;杏仁核内环路缺陷,杏仁核、前额叶皮层兴奋-抑制水平失衡及差异激活与社交行为障碍相关。其次,功能连接研究表明不同年龄阶段孤独症谱系障碍大脑功能连接模式存在差异性,特别指出幼儿存在不同表型的神经环路异常功能连接模式:社交环路的功能连接减少和感觉运动环路的功能连接增加。这些为未来揭开特定神经环路是如何参与孤独症特定行为产生的机制研究提供参考。

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an increasing prevalence year by year.More and more studies have found that the abnormalities of neural circuits are closely related to the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.At present,the in-depth study of neural circuits has become a research hotspot to explore the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.This article reviews the recent research progress on the neural circuits of structural and functional connectivity underlying the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.First,structural connectivity studies showed that the cortex-basal ganglia-thalamus circuit was the basis of repetitive behaviors,and its sub-pathways and dynamic molecular regulation in the sub-pathways were the cause of each type of repetitive behaviors.Defects in the amygdala inner loop,the amygdala,prefrontal cortex excitement-inhibition of balance imbalance and differential activation were related to social behavior disorders.Secondly,functional connectivity studies showed that there were differences in brain functional connectivity patterns of autism spectrum disorders at different ages.It was particularly pointed out that there were different type of the abnormal functional connectivity patterns of neural circuits in children,the reduction of functional connectivity of social circuits and increase of the function of sensorinwtor connectivity.These findings provide routes for future studies on how specific neural circuits participate in the mechanism of specific autism behavior.