Excitation-inhibition imbalance in autism-epilepsy comorbidity, a preclinical and clinical study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are developmental disorders typified by an altered brain activity. It is believed that in many clinical cases a common background is present, resulting probably from an early common dysfunction in the brain. Presently, very few ASD animal models have been studied for the presence of epilepsy-like symptoms, and therefore translational research on the topic is scarce. In this two-year-project, we will investigate the validity and reliability of the newly proposed human fE/I indices in a large well-phenotyped population of children and adults with ASD (based on available rs-EEG and rs-fMRI measures in the same participants). In addition, we will investigate to what extent this new fE/I biomarker corroborates the behavioral and electrophysiological brain signatures of two animal models (zebrafish and rat). In doing so, we will translate clinical bedside findings to the preclinical models, and validate these models as predictive and fit-for-purpose animal proxies for future translational bench-to-bed medicine purposes.

Keywords:autism, epilepsy, zebrafish model, rodent model

Disciplines:Behavioural neuroscience, Other pharmaceutical sciences not elsewhere classified