Developmental Dopaminergic Signaling Modulates Neural Circuit Formation and Contributes to Autism Spectrum Disorder–Related Phenotypes

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex etiology. Recent evidence suggests that dopamine plays a crucial role in neural development. However, whether and how disrupted dopaminergic signaling during development contributes to ASD remains unknown. In this study, human brain RNA sequencing transcriptome analysis revealed a significant correlation between changes in dopaminergic signaling pathways and neural developmental signaling in ASD patients. In the zebrafish model, disrupted developmental dopaminergic signaling led to neural circuit abnormalities and behavior reminiscent of autism. Dopaminergic signaling may impact neuronal specification by potentially modulating integrins. These findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the link between disrupted developmental dopamine signaling and ASD, and they point to the possibility of targeting dopaminergic signaling in early development for ASD treatment.