- Author:
Tae KIM
1
;
Ji Eun RYU
;
Geon Ho BAHN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Electroconvulsive Therapy; Vagus Nerve Stimulation; Deep Brain Stimulation; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Optogenetics
- MeSH: Autistic Disorder*; Automatic Data Processing; Brain*; Catatonia; Child; Autism Spectrum Disorder*; Deep Brain Stimulation; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Epilepsy; Interpersonal Relations; Neuronal Plasticity; Optogenetics; Self-Injurious Behavior; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Vagus Nerve Stimulation
- From:Hanyang Medical Reviews 2016;36(1):65-71
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by a range of conditions including impairments in social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Pharmacological treatments can improve some symptoms of ASD, but the effect is limited and there is a huge unmet demand for successful interventions of ASD. Brain stimulation and modulation are emerging treatment options for ASD: electroconvulsive therapy for catatonia in ASD, vagal nerve stimulation for comorbid epilepsy and ASD, and deep brain stimulation for serious self-injurious behavior. Therapeutic tools are evolving to mechanism-driven treatment. Excitation/Inhibition (E/I) imbalance alters the brain mechanism of information processing and behavioral regulation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can stabilize aberrant neuroplasticity by improving E/I balance. These brain stimulation and modulation methods are expected to be used for exploration of the pathophysiology and etiology of ASD and might facilitate the development of a mechanism-driven solution of core domains of ASD in the future.