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Perinatal Influences of Valproate on Brain and Behaviour: An Animal Model for Autism

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Neurotoxin Modeling of Brain Disorders—Life-long Outcomes in Behavioral Teratology

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences ((CTBN,volume 29))

Abstract

Valproic acid or valproate (VPA) is an anti-convulsant and mood stabiliser effective in treating epilepsy and bipolar disorders. Although in adults VPA is well tolerated and safe, there is convincing evidence that it has teratogenic properties, ranging from mild neurodevelopmental changes to severe congenital malformations. In particular, studies involving humans and other animals have shown that prenatal exposure to VPA can induce developmental abnormalities reminiscent of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this chapter, we discuss the connection between VPA and ASD, evaluate the VPA animal model of ASD, and describe the possible molecular mechanisms underlying VPA’s teratogenic properties.

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  1. School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Peter Ranger & Bart A. Ellenbroek

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  2. Bart A. Ellenbroek
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Correspondence to Bart A. Ellenbroek .

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  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA

    Richard M. Kostrzewa

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Trevor Archer

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Ranger, P., Ellenbroek, B.A. (2015). Perinatal Influences of Valproate on Brain and Behaviour: An Animal Model for Autism. In: Kostrzewa, R.M., Archer, T. (eds) Neurotoxin Modeling of Brain Disorders—Life-long Outcomes in Behavioral Teratology. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 29. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2015_404

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