Understanding alterations during human brain development with molecular imaging: Role in determining serotonin and GABA mechanisms in autism

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to present an approach to the understanding of chemical differences in the brains of children with autism and to use to information to design new treatments for autism. The approach is to utilize information about how the processes in the developing brain of an autistic child differs from those in typically developing children discovered through molecular imaging to design new pharmacological treatments to bring brain development in the autistic child back on course.