White matter as a monitoring biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorder intervention studies

Meghan R. Swanson, Heather C. Hazlett

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Early intervention is a valuable tool to support the development of toddlers with neurodevelopmental disorders. With recent research advances in early identification that allow for pre-symptomatic detection of autism in infancy, scientists are looking forward to intervention during infancy. These advances may be supported by the identification of biologically based treatment and outcome measures that are sensitive and dimensional. Main body of abstract: The purpose of this review is to evaluate white matter neurodevelopment as a monitoring biomarker for early treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as used as exemplars. White matter has unique neurobiology, including a prolonged period of dynamic development. This developmental pattern may make white matter especially responsive to treatment. White matter develops aberrantly in children with ASD and FXS. Histologic studies in rodents have provided targets for FXS pharmacological intervention. However, pharmaceutical clinical trials in humans failed to garner positive clinical results. In this article, we argue that the use of neurobiological monitoring biomarkers may overcome some of these limitations, as they are objective, not susceptible to placebo effects, and are dimensional in nature. Short conclusion: As the field moves towards earlier detection and early intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders, we encourage scientists to consider the advantages of using neurobiological features as monitoring biomarkers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number33
JournalJournal of neurodevelopmental disorders
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 16 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Brain
  • Clinical trial
  • Fragile X syndrome
  • Intervention
  • Myelin
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Treatment
  • White matter

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