The role of selenoproteins in neurodevelopment and neurological function: Implications in autism spectrum disorder

Supriya Behl; Sunil Mehta; Mukesh K Pandey

doi:10.3389/fnmol.2023.1130922

The role of selenoproteins in neurodevelopment and neurological function: Implications in autism spectrum disorder

Front Mol Neurosci. 2023 Mar 9:16:1130922. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1130922. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Supriya Behl^{1

2}, Sunil Mehta¹, Mukesh K Pandey³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
² Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
³ Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.

Abstract

Selenium and selenoproteins play a role in many biological functions, particularly in brain development and function. This review outlines the role of each class of selenoprotein in human brain function. Most selenoproteins play a large antioxidant role within the brain. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been shown to correlate with increased oxidative stress, and the presumption of selenoproteins as key players in ASD etiology are discussed. Further, current literature surrounding selenium in ASD and selenium supplementation studies are reviewed. Finally, perspectives are given for future directions of selenoprotein research in ASD.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; brain development; brain function; metal micronutrients; selenium.

Publication types

Review