What Is mGluR5 and How Is It Linked to Autism? mGluR5 is a metabotropic glutamate receptor that modulates how neurons respond to the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. A Yale-led brain imaging study reported that autistic adults had about 15 percent lower brain-wide availability of mGluR5 compared with neurotypical adults, measured with PET imaging, and this reduction tracked with an EEG measure linked to excitatory activity. The finding supports long-standing evidence of altered excitatory and inhibitory signaling in autism, but it does not prove causation or translate to immediate treatments.

How does a glutamate receptor shape autistic brain signaling? Yale researchers used PET scans to probe mGluR5 in living brains. What they found could inform future therapies—curious to see how? Read and weigh in! #Autism #glutamate #mGluR5 #Neuroscience #PETImaging