Autism spectrum disorder also referred to as (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social

communication and interaction (CDC). ASD can have varying effects on different people, for some it

might create a lot of obstacles in their social life, and for others, it can be the opposite (CDC) but to

understand more about those with ASD let's dive in deeper and find out what neurotransmitters are

involved in ASD.

Many neurotransmitters are involved in ASD but for the sake of my time and yours let’s talk

about the most associated ones, ACh, 5-HT, DA, GABA, and Glu (Eissa). At this point, you might be asking

yourself what is ACh, 5-HT, DA, or Glu!! Don’t worry because today I’ll be only focusing on the GABA

neurotransmitter. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid or also known as GABA is an amino acid neurotransmitter

that functions as the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter for the central nervous system (CNS) (NIH),

which next explores some facts about the GABA neurotransmitter. Firstly, as the main inhibitory

neurotransmitter, GABA regulates the brain's activity and makes sure to prevent problems in the areas of

anxiety, irritability, concentration, sleep, seizures, and depression it gives your brain a rest from the

stress and anxiety of everyday things (Cleveland Clinic).

Secondly, let’s talk about the receptors for GABA, both ionotropic and metabotropic receptors

are associated with our wonderful friend GABA, before I confuse you even further let me explain what

ionotropic and metabotropic receptors are and how they’re different. Ionotropic receptors also known

as Ligan-activated ion channels are membrane-spanning ion channel proteins that open directly in

response to ligand binding, large protein complexes, that produce very quick physiological responses

(Khan Academy). On the other hand, metabotropic receptors are not themselves ion channels, they can

also have excitatory effects when activated, while others have inhibitory effects. (Khan Academy). In

addition to that they differ from Ionotropic receptors in that they are much slower than Ionotropic

receptors because of the many steps involved in signaling through them.

 Lastly, as with other neurotransmitters, the release of GABA occurs by the same mechanism ( The

Human Memory). According to “The Human Memory” “When a nerve impulse reaches the pre-synaptic

neuron, it causes degranulation of the vesicles containing GABA. As a result, GABA is released into the

synaptic cleft and is ready to exert its action on both pre-synaptic as well as post-synaptic neurons” (The

Human Memory). Now that we know more about GABA and its role let’s come back to ASD and see how

GABA neurotransmitters are affected by the disorder. Through animal testing and studies conducted in

patients with ASD researchers have found an abnormality in GABA neurotransmitters where they have

found fewer of them, for example, Eissa states “abnormalities in both neurotransmitters including an

increase in the excitatory Glu and/or decrease in the inhibitory GABA were found to lead to epileptic

seizure” (Eissa).

In conclusion, GABA happens to regulate anxiety and concentration, and studies have found fewer

GABA transmitters in people with ASD. People with ASD experience elevated levels of anxiety and

concentration which seems to be two of the more prevalent symptoms according the “Anxiety &

Depression Association of America” (ADAA) found that “40% of young people with ASD have clinically

elevated levels of anxiety or at least one anxiety disorder, including obsessive-compulsive disorder”

(ADAA).
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