Drugs That Alter Inhibitory Targets Offer Therapeutic Strategies for Autism & Schizophrenia

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Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221150747.htm


This article introduces new research that could provide huge insights into the future of medicine regarding mental health problems.  In normal brain development, the average adolescent engages in a process called "synaptic pruning," which essentially selectively snips away about half of the synapses in our brain in preparation for adulthood.  This process is essential to healthy brain functioning; however, research has shown that many individuals with mental health problems, particularly those on the autism spectrum or with schizophrenia, do not experience synaptic pruning, resulting in an abnormally high number of dendritic spines.  It is believed that this abnormally high number of dendritic spines/synapses is what causes many of the cognitive impairments seen with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia.  Recent research has shown that there are drugs that enhance the function of "inhibitory brain receptors" which artificially engage the synaptic pruning process in adolescents.  These drugs ultimately reduce the number of synapses/dendritic spines found in an individual's brain. 

This research suggests that we could potentially use these drugs as a treatment during adolescence for patients with ASD or schizophrenia.  If these individuals have too many synapses causing cognitive impairments, it would seem that reducing the number of synapses early on would help prevent or at least slow down the onset of these impairments.  Unfortunately, the article states that these drugs are not available for use in humans yet, which suggests to me that there is still a lot of research to be done or potential side effects that are not yet being discussed.  If more research could be done on the topic, this could be a huge breakthrough for psychologists everywhere.  As we learned in class, most mental health impairments are associated with an abnormally high number of dendritic spines, so this type of drug could have the potential to help more than just people with ASD or schizophrenia.  While it is clear that further research needs to be conducted, I think this is a huge starting point that could lead to more effective treatments for people suffering from severe mental disorders.
 

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 19, 2017 at 11:56 PM

    I think that this research is very important to those who have children with mental impairments. I did not know that there was a drug that was capable of inducing synaptic pruning. I believe that this marks a big step in treating the mental disorders you described. Like any drug, however, it can be taken in excess, so I think that research should be conducted to examine the effects of taking in an excess of the drug. Could it possibly have negative effects like over pruning the dendritic spines, causing some sort of mental incapacitation or even worsening their condition? Still though, exciting to think about the potential breakthroughs that could come out of discovering the use of this drug. If further research is conducted and advanced, then I think it would mean a lot to families who have loved ones that have these mental disorders.

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  2. Katie GerrityApril 26, 2017 at 8:43 PM

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