Researchers have uncovered a potential new way to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by restoring the function of an important brain receptor. The study, led by Director Eunjoon Kim of the IBS Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, focused on a glycine transporter known as Slc6a20a/SLC6A20.
The team found that reducing the activity of this transporter could help restore NMDA receptor (NMDAR) function. These receptors play a major role in communication between brain cells and are essential for learning, memory, and other cognitive processes.
A More Targeted Way to Restore Brain Signaling
Reduced NMDAR activity has been linked to several neurological and psychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, intellectual disability, and NMDAR encephalitis. Scientists have spent decades searching for ways to improve NMDAR function, but clinical studies have produced inconsistent results. Those setbacks have increased interest in treatments that can act more precisely.
For an NMDA receptor to become fully active, it needs both glutamate and glycine. Earlier treatment strategies tried to raise glycine levels by blocking GlyT1, another transporter that regulates glycine.
