Potential role of primed microglia during obesity on the mesocorticolimbic circuit in autism spectrum disorder

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disease which involves functional and structural defects in selective central nervous system (CNS) regions that harm function and individual ability to process and respond to external stimuli. Individuals with ASD spend less time engaging in social interaction compared to non ‐affected subjects. Studies employing structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging reported morphological and functional abnormalities in the connectivity of the mesocorticolimbic reward pathway between the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in response to social stimuli, as well as diminished medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in response to visual cues, whereas stronger reward system responses for the non‐social realm (e.g., video games) than social rewards (e.g., approval), associated with caudate nucleus responsiveness in ASD children. Defects in the meso corticolimbic reward pathway have been modulated in transgenic murine models using D2 dopamine receptor heterozygous (D2+/‐) or dopamine transporter (DAT) knockout mice, which exhibit sociability deficits and repetitive behaviors observed in ASD phenotypes. Notably, the mesocorticolimbic reward pa thway is modulated by systemic and central inflammation, such as primed microglia, which occurs during obesity or maternal overnutrition. Therefore, we propose that a positive energy balance during obesity/maternal overnutrition coordinates a systemi...
Source: Journal of Neurochemistry - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research