Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders pp 1–2Cite as

Anticholinesterase Inhibitors

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 843 Accesses

Synonyms

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; AChE-inhibitors

Definition

Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter key in an individual’s ability to adapt to his/her environment and surrounding stimuli. ASD patients show many deficits in ACh production and receptor function. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme involved in the degradation of acetylcholine. Anticholinesterase inhibitors, or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChE-inhibitors), seek to block the action of this enzyme, thus increasing ACh levels and action durations. Examples that have been tested and shown beneficial effects in ASD patients include rivastigmine, donepezil, and galantamine. Improvements in expressive speech are consistent across the drugs. Reports also include improvements in irritability, hyperactivity, receptive language, social withdrawal, inattention, and anger management. Side-effect profiles include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Currently AChE-inhibitors are some of the most promising class of drugs in...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References and Readings

  • Hardan, A. Y., & Handen, B. L. (2002). A retrospective open trial of adjunctive donepezil in children and adolescents with autistic disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 12(3), 237–241.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolson, R., Craven-Thuss, B., & Smith, J. (2006). A prospective, open-label trial of galantamine in autistic disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 16(5), 621–629.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Niederhofer, H. (2003). Acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors in the treatment of autistic disorders. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 3(4), 409–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossignol, D. A. (2009). Novel and emerging treatments for autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 21(4), 213–236.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autism Program, Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, 06511, New Haven, CT, USA

    Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran

  2. Program in Neurodevelopment and Regeneration, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran

  3. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran

Authors
  1. Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karthikeyan Ardhanareeswaran .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Ardhanareeswaran, K. (2015). Anticholinesterase Inhibitors. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102056-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102056-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation