Lingli Zhang, Chu-Chung Huang, Yuan Dai, Qiang Luo, Yiting Ji, Kai Wang, Shining Deng, Juehua Yu, Mingyu Xu, Xiujuan Du, Yun Tang, Chun Shen, Jianfeng Feng, Barbara J Sahakian, Ching-Po Lin, Fei Li
Bumetanide has been reported to alter synaptic excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance by potentiating the action of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), thereby attenuating the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in animal models. However, clinical evidence of its efficacy in young patients with ASD is limited. This was investigated in the present clinical trial of 83 patients, randomised to the bumetanide group (bumetanide treatment, 0.5 mg twice daily) or the control group (no bumetanide treatment). Primary [Children Autism Rating Scale (CARS)], secondary [Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)], and exploratory [inhibitory (γ-aminobutyric acid, GABA) and excitatory (glutamate, Glx) neurotransmitter concentrations measured in the insular cortex (IC) and visual cortex (VC) by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)] outcome measures were evaluated at baseline and at the 3-month follow-up...
January 27, 2020: Translational Psychiatry