Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004352 (autism)
 32,579 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dextromethorphan is the d-isomer of levorphenol, and an ingredient in antitussive preparations. A 10 year-old male diagnosed with Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder was administered this medication initially to treat a medical condition. This became a quasi-experimental ABAB design (A = baseline, B = treatment), with improvements during treatment phases shown in tracked behavioral data and anecdotal reports. Several candidate mechanisms to explain the improvements are offered, including glutamate receptor antagonism. While dextromethorphan is not commonly administered for the treatment of behavioral challenges in this or any population, the results suggest the need for larger-scale, adequately controlled, and methodologically rigorous studies of the potential clinical effects of dextromethorphan.
J Autism Dev Disord 2005 Aug
PMID:The treatment of the behavioral sequelae of autism with dextromethorphan: a case report. 1613 36

Dextromethorphan (DM) is a commonly used antitussive and is currently the only FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatment for pseudobulbar affect. Its safety profile and diverse pharmacologic actions in the central nervous system have stimulated new interest for repurposing it. Numerous preclinical investigations and many open-label or blinded clinical studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects across a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the optimal dose and safety of chronic dosing are not fully known. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical effects of DM and its putative mechanisms of action, focusing on depression, stroke, traumatic brain injury, seizure, pain, methotrexate neurotoxicity, Parkinson's disease and autism. Moreover, we offer suggestions for future research with DM to advance the treatment for these and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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PMID:Dextromethorphan: An update on its utility for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. 2682 4