The Cerebellum–Ventral Tegmental Area Microcircuit and Its Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review

• Published in: Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment Vol. 20; pp. 2039 - 2048
• Main Authors: Zhou, Peiling, Peng, Shiyu, Wen, Sizhe, Lan, Qinghui, Zhuang, Yingyin, Li, Xuyan, Shi, Mengliang, Zhang, Changzheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove 01.10.2024; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; cerebellum; neural circuit; Review; ventral tegmental area
• ISSN: 1178-2021; 1176-6328; 1178-2021
• DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S485487

The cerebellum has long been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and emerging evidence suggests a significant contribution by reciprocal neural circuits between the cerebellum and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in symptom expression. This review provides a concise overview of morphological and functional alterations in the cerebellum and VTA associated with ASD symptoms, primarily focusing on human studies while also integrating mechanistic insights from animal models. We propose that cerebello-VTA circuit dysfunctional is a major contributor to ASD symptoms and that these circuits are promising targets for drugs and therapeutic brain stimulation methods.The cerebellum has long been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and emerging evidence suggests a significant contribution by reciprocal neural circuits between the cerebellum and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in symptom expression. This review provides a concise overview of morphological and functional alterations in the cerebellum and VTA associated with ASD symptoms, primarily focusing on human studies while also integrating mechanistic insights from animal models. We propose that cerebello-VTA circuit dysfunctional is a major contributor to ASD symptoms and that these circuits are promising targets for drugs and therapeutic brain stimulation methods.