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Oral famotidine: a potential treatment for children with autism
1College of Physicians and Surgeons, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY 10019, USA.
Insights
Famotidine, a histamine-2 receptor blocker, may help treat autism symptoms. Its effectiveness in schizophrenia suggests potential benefits for social deficits in children with autism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Famotidine is a histamine-2 receptor blocker used for gastrointestinal conditions.
- It has shown efficacy in alleviating deficit symptoms in adults with schizophrenia.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction and communication deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of famotidine in treating social deficits in children with autism.
- To hypothesize famotidine's utility based on similarities between schizophrenia and autism deficit symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on famotidine's effects.
- Analysis of neurochemical roles of histamine and H2-receptors.
- Hypothesis generation based on symptom overlap.
Main Results:
- Histamine acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.
- H2-receptors primarily mediate inhibitory signals.
- Stimulation of H2-receptors decreases spontaneous activity and exploratory behavior.
Conclusions:
- Blockade of H2-receptors may reverse inhibitory effects.
- Famotidine's mechanism suggests potential therapeutic application for autism's social deficits.
- Further research is warranted to investigate famotidine for childhood autism treatment.
Abstract:
Famotidine (Pepcid, a histamine-2 receptor blocker, is marketed for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, and the treatment of pathological hypersecretory conditions, including the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Recent reports indicate that it is also effective in relieving the deficit (or withdrawal) symptoms of adults with schizophrenia. Autism, a neuropsychiatric disorder which presents within the first few years of life, is defined by deficient social interaction, communication, language, play, and a markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests. Similarities between the deficit symptoms of schizophrenia and the social deficit symptoms of autism suggest the hypothesis that famotidine may be useful in treating children with autism. Histamine serves as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in the brain. H2-receptors in the brain predominantly transmit inhibitory signals; when these receptors are stimulated in animals, spontaneous activity and exploratory behavior decrease; blockade of H2-receptors would therefore be expected to reverse this inhibition.