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Updated: Jun 8, 2025

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
The Cerebellum-Ventral Tegmental Area Microcircuit and Its Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative
Peiling Zhou1, Shiyu Peng2, Sizhe Wen1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Development and Education for Special Needs Children & School of Educational Sciences, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, 524048, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
The cerebellum has long been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and emerging evidence suggests a significant contribution by reciprocal neural circuits between the cerebellum and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in symptom expression. This review provides a concise overview of morphological and functional alterations in the cerebellum and VTA associated with ASD symptoms, primarily focusing on human studies while also integrating mechanistic insights from animal models. We propose that cerebello-VTA circuit dysfunctional is a major contributor to ASD symptoms and that these circuits are promising targets for drugs and therapeutic brain stimulation methods.
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