Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is described as a disorder that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others. The number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is slowly rising. According to the NIH, It is estimated 1 in 68 children in the United States has autism. The exact number is unknown, but it is still a serious problem that needs to be handled.
Symptoms of autism include impairment of social communication and interactions, or repetitive behavior. A child with autism will fail to respond to their name being called. They might be isolated to their own private world or even engage in repetitive behaviors.
 
The CDC, NIH and Mayo Clinic state the causes of autism may be due to genetic factors and environmental factors. Some genes may make a child more susceptible to autism. There are over 100 genes that may induce some symptom the autism spectrum. Currently, there is no identified environmental cause related to autism, but environmental factors may cause abnormal gene function and development.
What truly causes autism in the brain is more complicated than genetic or environmental factors. The signaling pathway associated with ASD is complex. From this figure, it shows the possible pathway ways ASD may be triggered. The figure may show which molecules are mutated in red, but the problem lies with what molecules started ASD first? With the mRNA portion in the middle of the figure, PTEN, TSC1 or Shank each can cause the increase of activation of FMRP and eLF4E. This will result in too much gene translation, which could lead to ASD.
Neuroligins (NLGN) are synaptic cell adhesion molecules at the post-synaptic membranes. They help mediate synaptic functioning and maintenance of synapses between neurons. Dysfunction of NLGN impairs the properties of synapses and disrupt neural networks. This leads to an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory signaling, which could lead to ASD.
There are medications available in treating symptoms of autism, but no cure exists. As research continues on ASD, the pathways are a potential in trying to understand ASD, then a cure may be found.