Modulation of the Excitatory/Inhibitory (E/I) balance through neuronal systems in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | C4C

The brain depends on the balance between the excitatory (E) chemical glutamate and inhibitory (I) chemical GABA. We want to test the theory that symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are caused by an imbalance of Excitation-Inhibition (E-I) and find out more about how E-I systems may be altered using a GABAergic drug. To do this we will measure the glutamate and GABA neurochemicals (using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy), and brain activity (using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and electroencephalography) in adults with and without ASD when the GABA system is briefly activated by a single dose of a GABA-acting drug (AZD7325) and when the GABA system is resting after a ‘dummy pill’ (placebo).