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Review
. 2011 Feb;17(2):78-87.
doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2010.10.002. Epub 2010 Nov 4.

Rapamycin for treating Tuberous sclerosis and Autism spectrum disorders

Dan Ehninger  1 , Alcino J Silva
Affiliations
Review

Rapamycin for treating Tuberous sclerosis and Autism spectrum disorders

Dan Ehninger et al. Trends Mol Med. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is a genetic disorder caused by heterozygous mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes and is associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in 20-60% of cases. In addition, altered TSC/mTOR signaling is emerging as a feature common to a subset of ASD. Recent findings, in animal models, show that restoration of the underlying molecular defect can improve neurological dysfunction in several of these models, even if treatment is initiated in adult animals, suggesting that pathophysiological processes in the mature brain contribute significantly to the overall neurological phenotype in these models. These findings suggest that windows for therapeutic intervention in ASD could be wider than thought previously.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of TSC-mTOR signaling. For detailed information, please refer to the main text and Boxes 2 and 4.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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