Psychoactive pharmaceuticals induced the pattern of gene expression in human neuronal cells associated with neurological disorders including ASD. Homo sapiens

To determine the extent to which psychoactive pharmaceuticals altered expression of neuronal genes associated with neurological disorders (including autism) in humans, we analyzed the gene expression profiles with respect to neuronal systems in human neuroblastoma cell cultures. We used valproate as a positive control in this study as it has been found strongly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Identifying altered gene expression profiles in treated cells and finding a pattern similar to valproate-induced gene expressions would reveal the extent to which psychoactive pharmaceuticals at very low concentrations could induce gene expression potentially associated with neurological disorders such as ASD