Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition defined by persistent differences in social communication and by restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests.[1] Although ASD is not a neurodegenerative disease, it intersects with NeuroWiki because many of the implicated pathways, including synaptic transmission, epigenetic regulation, and circuit development, overlap with mechanisms studied across neurologic disease.[1:1][2]
ASD is biologically diverse rather than a single-pathway disorder. Current models emphasize convergent disruption across synapse formation, excitatory-inhibitory balance, transcriptional regulation, and developmental timing.[1:2][2:1] This heterogeneity is one reason biomarker discovery and treatment stratification remain difficult.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review. JAMA (2023). ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Autism spectrum disorder: pathogenesis, biomarker, and intervention therapy. MedComm (2020) (2024). ↩︎ ↩︎