Page 76 - AN-1-3

Advanced Neurology

REVIEW ARTICLE
Mechanism of action and therapeutic targeting

of microglia in autism spectrum disorder

†
Yangming Zhang , Yuqiao Xie , Zishuo Cheng , Yanran Zhang, Wenting Wang,
†
†
Baolin Guo*, and Shengxi Wu*
Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an,
Shaanxi, China

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex mental illness with a high incidence
and considerable impact. More than half of the affected individuals have self-harm
behaviors, resulting in high mortality and morbidity. The impact of ASD on education
and employment opportunities, the need for family care and support, as well as the
burden on families and society is enormous. The underlying pathogenesis of ASD is
still unclear, and effective interventions are lacking. Microglia are key immune cells
in the central nervous system (CNS), and they function far beyond classical innate
immunity, as they can affect normal neuronal activity by secreting cytokines and
pruning synapses through phagocytosis. On the one hand, the abnormal activity of
microglia may contribute to the development of ASD; on the other hand, it provides
a potential target for intervention and treatment. In this review, we comprehensively
analyze the mechanism of action of microglia in ASD development and summarize
† These authors contributed equally
to this work. the current methods for targeting microglia in treating ASD.
*Corresponding authors:
Baolin Guo (baolguo@fmmu.edu.cn)
Shengxi Wu (shengxi@fmmu.edu.cn) Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Microglia; Neuroinflammation; Cellular
immunotherapy
Citation: Zhang Y, Xie Y, Cheng Z,
et al., 2022, Mechanism of
action and therapeutic targeting
of microglia in autism spectrum
disorder. Adv Neuro, 1(3): 167. 1. Introduction
https://doi.org/10.36922/an.v1i3.167
Received: August 4, 2022 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), also known as an autistic disorder, is a developmental
brain disorder. The main symptoms are social handicaps, communication disorders,
Accepted: October 13, 2022 narrow interests, and stereotypical repetitive behaviors . ASD begins before the age of
[1]
Published Online: October 28, three and manifests significantly thereafter. The vast majority of children require long-
2022 term rehabilitation training and special education support. One-third of individuals
Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). with ASD may remain mute all their lives, one-half have no sense of safety or need to be
This is an Open Access article restrained in their actions, nearly two-thirds of children with ASD experience bullying,
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution and approximately one-third engage in self-harm behaviors, such as head banging, arm
License, permitting distribution, biting, and skin scratching . The average cost for individuals with ASD is approximately
[2]
and reproduction in any medium, $60,000/year throughout their childhood and increases with the onset of intellectual
[3]
provided the original work is
properly cited. disability. According to the latest screening data on ASD from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, one in 54 children is diagnosed with ASD, with a 24% increase
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
[4]
Publishing remains neutral with in prevalence from 2016 to 2018 .
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional A century ago, microglia were first recognized as a distinct cell population in the
affiliations. central nervous system (CNS) and were primarily thought to be phagocytes responsible
[5]
Volume 1 Issue 3 (2022) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/an.v1i3.167