BDNF and autism: Another study found that PEA administration reverts the altered social and nonsocial behavioral phenotype in the inbred BTBR strain used as mice model of autism, possibly by reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory markers, activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α), and restoring hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, mitochondrial function, and microbiota composition [29].