TY - JOUR A2 - Ojagbemi, Akin AU - Singh, Rahul AU - Turner, Ryan C. AU - Nguyen, Linda AU - Motwani, Kartik AU - Swatek, Michelle AU - Lucke-Wold, Brandon P. PY - 2016 DA - 2016/12/15 TI - Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury and Autism: Elucidating Shared Mechanisms SP - 8781725 VL - 2016 AB - Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are two serious conditions that affect youth. Recent data, both preclinical and clinical, show that pediatric TBI and ASD share not only similar symptoms but also some of the same biologic mechanisms that cause these symptoms. Prominent symptoms for both disorders include gastrointestinal problems, learning difficulties, seizures, and sensory processing disruption. In this review, we highlight some of these shared mechanisms in order to discuss potential treatment options that might be applied for each condition. We discuss potential therapeutic and pharmacologic options as well as potential novel drug targets. Furthermore, we highlight advances in understanding of brain circuitry that is being propelled by improved imaging modalities. Going forward, advanced imaging will help in diagnosis and treatment planning strategies for pediatric patients. Lessons from each field can be applied to design better and more rigorous trials that can be used to improve guidelines for pediatric patients suffering from TBI or ASD. SN - 0953-4180 UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8781725 DO - 10.1155/2016/8781725 JF - Behavioural Neurology PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation KW - ER -