Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is mainly characterized by impairment of sociability, deficits of communication, and restricted/repeated behaviors and interests. Parents and caregivers of patients with ASD need understanding and skills that correspond to the characteristics of the patient. Genetic and environmental causes of ASD have been investigated, but the pathophysiology and treatment of ASD have not yet been thoroughly defined. In this article, we focus on activating the mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway that is one of pathophysiology in hereditary disease with ASD. We introduce the animal studies and clinical studies associated with the mTOR signaling pathway including the results of our studies. Furthermore, we describe the effect of early intervention for patients with ASD and prospects for the future ASD research. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
