Calcium channels and heavy metals involved in autism

A B S T R A C T Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, Autism is also a neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in communication and social behavior (Cermak SA 2010). The role of calcium channels in autism is an important part of research and new data will be developed in this review. Interestingly, the results show that many children with autism have a mutation in ionic channels and especially in the Cav1.2 and Cav3.2 calcium channels which are very sensitive to metals traces (Grabrucker AM. 2012). Other studies have shown that autism and behavioral disorders are closely related to poisoning by toxic trace metals or xenobiotics and also show that these toxins generate biochemical disturbances that may lead to physical and / or psychological disorders in children, with repercussions in adolescence and into their adult lives. The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of calcium channel activity on the autistic individual, and also to develop the results concerning levels of trace metals found in blood and urine of children with autism; then we will see the able link between calcium channel, heavy metals and autism and provide a study that can confirm or cancel this hypothesis of this triple interaction.