Deregulation of synaptic plasticity in autism.

A puzzling observation in the study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mouse models has been the deregulation of long-term synaptic depression (LTD), a form of experience-dependent synaptic plasticity, across brain areas and across syndromic and non-syndromic forms of autism. This review attempts to approach this phenomenon from a largely, but not exclusively, cerebellar perspective. Three potential consequences of LTD deregulation are discussed that are relevant for ASD phenotypes: resulting impairment of proper developmental synaptic pruning, impairment of motor coordination and motor learning, and impairment of the processing of sensory input.