Review of Pharmacogenomics of Psychiatric Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Approximately 70% of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive at least one psychotropic medication to treat comorbidities. However, the response to treatment with these drugs is far from satisfactory, with 30–50% of treated patients not responding adequately or developing severe and long-lasting side effects. There is strong evidence of the clinical utility of pharmacogenetics for the personalization of antipsychotic and antidepressant treatments in adult populations. However, the use of pharmacogenetic interventions for the personalization of treatment in ASD populations is minimal. The aim of this review is to summarize the findings of pharmacogenetic studies conducted in subjects with ASD and illustrate their utility in the personalization of treatment with psychoactive drugs in this population group.

Keywords::

• antidepressants
• autism spectrum disorder
• personalized medicine antipsychotic
• pharmacogenetics
• review

Financial disclosure

The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.