title: Beta-lactam antibiotics as a possible novel therapy for managing epilepsy and autism, a case report and review of literature.
abstract: Autism is a disorder of unknown etiology. There are few FDA approved medications for treating autism. Co-occurring autism and epilepsy is common, and glutamate antagonists improve some symptoms of autism. Ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, increases the expression of the glutamate transporter 1 which decreases extracellular glutamate levels. It is hypothesized that modulating astrocyte glutamate transporter expression by ceftriaxone or cefixime might improve some symptoms of autism. This case report of a child with autism and epilepsy suggests a decrease in seizures after taking cefixime.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ; Department of Psychiatry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shiraz, Iran ; Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghanizadeh
authors.affiliation: Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia ; Professorial Research Fellow, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Orygen Research Centre and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berk
keywords: Antibiotic; Cefixime; Glutamate; Inflammation; Therapy; Transporter