Abstract
Brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders has been considered to comprise a sequence of critical periods, and abnormalities occurring during early development have been considered irreversible in adulthood. However, findings in mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders, including fragile X, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, and neurofibromatosis type I suggest that it is possible to reverse certain molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral deficits associated with these disorders in adults by genetic or pharmacological manipulations. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that critical period-like plasticity can be reactivated in the adult brain by environmental manipulations or by pharmacotherapy. These studies open up a tantalizing possibility that targeted pharmacological treatments in combination with regimes of training or rehabilitation might alleviate or reverse the symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders even after the end of critical developmental periods. Even though translation from animal experimentation to clinical practice is challenging, these results suggest a rational basis for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders in adulthood.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14074-14079 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Neuroscience |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 41 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 10 2012 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Treatment of Neurodevelopmental disorders in Adulthood. / Castrén, Eero; Elgersma, Ype; Maffei, Lamberto; Hagerman, Randi J.
In: Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 32, No. 41, 10.10.2012, p. 14074-14079.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Treatment of Neurodevelopmental disorders in Adulthood
AU - Castrén, Eero
AU - Elgersma, Ype
AU - Maffei, Lamberto
AU - Hagerman, Randi J
PY - 2012/10/10
Y1 - 2012/10/10
N2 - Brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders has been considered to comprise a sequence of critical periods, and abnormalities occurring during early development have been considered irreversible in adulthood. However, findings in mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders, including fragile X, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, and neurofibromatosis type I suggest that it is possible to reverse certain molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral deficits associated with these disorders in adults by genetic or pharmacological manipulations. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that critical period-like plasticity can be reactivated in the adult brain by environmental manipulations or by pharmacotherapy. These studies open up a tantalizing possibility that targeted pharmacological treatments in combination with regimes of training or rehabilitation might alleviate or reverse the symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders even after the end of critical developmental periods. Even though translation from animal experimentation to clinical practice is challenging, these results suggest a rational basis for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders in adulthood.
AB - Brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders has been considered to comprise a sequence of critical periods, and abnormalities occurring during early development have been considered irreversible in adulthood. However, findings in mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders, including fragile X, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, and neurofibromatosis type I suggest that it is possible to reverse certain molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral deficits associated with these disorders in adults by genetic or pharmacological manipulations. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that critical period-like plasticity can be reactivated in the adult brain by environmental manipulations or by pharmacotherapy. These studies open up a tantalizing possibility that targeted pharmacological treatments in combination with regimes of training or rehabilitation might alleviate or reverse the symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders even after the end of critical developmental periods. Even though translation from animal experimentation to clinical practice is challenging, these results suggest a rational basis for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders in adulthood.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84867280540&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3287-12.2012
DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3287-12.2012
M3 - Article
C2 - 23055475
AN - SCOPUS:84867280540
VL - 32
SP - 14074
EP - 14079
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
SN - 0270-6474
IS - 41
ER -