A new study led by Dr. Haitam Amal reveals a common molecular mechanism for autism and Alzheimer's, which will help in understanding the pathological mechanism in both disorders
Autism and Alzheimer's disease are two different neurological disorders, and on the face of it, there does not seem to be a strong connection between them. Autism is a disorder that is usually discovered in childhood, while Alzheimer's develops and strengthens rather in older ages. However, both disorders share similar clinical characteristics, such as language impairment, cognitive impairment, and more. In a new study published in one of the leading journals in the field of psychiatric biology, Translational Psychiatry from Nature, researchers from the School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University revealed for the first time the surprising connection between the two diseases - they share a common molecular mechanism.
The research group, led by Dr. Haitam Amal, head of the laboratory for neuroomics, signal transduction, and translational medicine at the Hebrew University, studied similar molecular changes between the two disorders using mouse models. In order to identify the mechanism, Dr. Amal and his team used a method he developed in conjunction with computational biology in which they can identify proteins that have been modified by a molecule called nitric oxide, which in high concentrations can cause various diseases. "Our research showed that there are two specific mutations: the first causes autism and the second causes Alzheimer's and both partially lead to similar biochemical changes," explains Dr. Amal. These mutations lead to molecular changes that are manifested in an increase in the levels of nitric oxide, a molecule that causes the modification of various proteins that affects their function. Dr. Amal estimates that some of these modifications can affect the function of the nerve cell, which leads to pathology. "We will conduct future studies to behaviorally and biologically verify this hypothesis," added Dr. Amal.
One of the most important pathways found in common between the two mutations is the mtor pathway, which is considered one of the most important signal transmission pathways in neurological disorders. Also, the study showed additional molecular changes that are affected by nitric oxide and are common in both models such as neural processes and processes related to the cell skeleton. Dr. Amal emphasized that since autism is a spectrum of disorders and Alzheimer's is a disease caused by different genetic and environmental causes, the emphasis in this study is on the two specific mutations that cause the two different disorders. In addition, he emphasized and clarified that the current work did not investigate in any way whether autism is a risk factor for Alzheimer's.
"Understanding the molecular mechanism in neurological disorders and the intersection between autism and Alzheimer's can help develop new effective treatments for both neuropathologies," concludes Dr. Amal.
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