Treatment for ASD patients with the cadherin and catenin complexes

Abstract

The cadherin and catenin complexes are responsible for refinements and proper neural circuit formation during the
critical period. Abnormal refinement causes deficiencies in spine pruning and neuronal disorders, including autism
spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder caused by defects in the spine
competition. An increase in the cadherin and catenin complex can simulate the synaptic signal transmission and increase
competition to maintain average spine density. However, the proper neuronal function requires the elimination of
unnecessary spines. Therefore, this paper designs an experiment using an ocular dominance column in mice to evaluate
whether the cadherin and catenin complex can overcome the deficiencies in spine pruning for ASD mice and whether
spine pruning is correct. Then, the cadherin and catenin complex is adopted on PFC in mice to evaluate the effect of
correction on social behavior for ASD mice. This work proposes a better treatment for ASD patients using the cadherin
and catenin complex