Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates the elevation of proinflammatory cytokine expressions in plasma and the activation of microglia in the brains of patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). On the other hand, neurotrophic factors such as Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) are known as key molecules for neuronal survival and synaptic functions, leading us to consider the association of these neurotrophic factors with the pathobiology of schizophrenia and ASD. Since the expressions of BDNF and NRG1 increase in activated microglia, the levels of microglia-derived BDNF and NRG1 expressions could be higher in the brain of ASD patient which more activated microglia reside than healthy controls. Thus, elevated expressions of microglia-derived neurotrophic factors in the brain could affect the symptoms of patients with ASD.
