Targeting PPARα in the rat valproic acid model of autism: focus on social motivational impairment and sex-related differences.
Simona Scheggi, Francesca Guzzi, Giulia Braccagni and 3 others
PMID 32718349WHAT IT FOUND
In rats modeling autism, fenofibrate improved social behavior in both sexes but reduced repetitive movements only in females.
The drug did not lower anxiety or improve reward response to food in males. These results do not apply to human patients.
Key findings
01Fenofibrate treatment from weaning to young adulthood rescued social interaction deficits in both male and female rats prenatally exposed to valproic acid.
02While fenofibrate reduced perseverative behavior (marble burying) in both sexes, it only decreased stereotypies in female rats, with no effect in males.
03The treatment did not reduce anxiety-like behavior in male rats nor improve the blunted dopaminergic response to sucrose (food reward) in males.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
This is an animal study using rats; findings do not directly translate to human patients. The dose of fenofibrate used was approximately eight times higher than typical human therapeutic doses. The study used only a single dose of the drug. The valproic acid model only partially replicates the complex and heterogeneous nature of human autism. The study did not assess whether the benefits of treatment persist into adulthood or require continuous administration.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca and Università degli Studi di Siena. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that fenofibrate can treat autism in humans. The study was conducted in rats using a dose eight times higher than standard human therapeutic levels, and the drug failed to improve anxiety or food reward responses in male subjects.