Neurobiological Perspectives on Autism Essay -- Biology Essays Researc

Neurobiological Perspectives on Autism Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, along with severe impairments in reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and cognitive development (1,2,3). If the brain is responsible for behavior then it should follow that disordered autistic behaviors should be explainable in terms of brain abnormalities and disordered neurobiological processes. While findings are generally speculative and the etiology of the disorder remains somewhat of an enigma, there is significant evidence that autism is associated with neurobiological dysfunction. Autistic individuals are often highly socially withdrawn to the extent that they may appear to live in a world of their own. Infants typically fail to develop normal attachments to parents or caregivers. They may seem indifferent to other's gestures of affection towards them, and may even resist being held or otherwise engaged in physical or emotional interaction. They tend to make little or no use of eye contact, smiling, facial expressions, gestures, and other signals of social intent. They continue to manifest many of the same social impairments throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. For example, they typically fail to develop normal peer relationships and they generally demonstrate an impairment in social-emotional reciprocity. Normal displays of emotion or empathy are uncommon: they do not generally offer comfort to others, nor do they seek others for comfort in their own times of distress. Similarly, they lack the ability to share in the enjoyment of other's pleasure and they resist sharing their own enjoyment with others. Res... ...m/p00.html#A 7)Autism and the Limbic System http://www.apnet.com/inscight/020/199//grapha.htm 8)Brain Lesions Linked to Autism http://www.apnet.com/inscight/020/199//grapha.htm 9)Researchers Identify Brain Abnormalities in Autistic Children http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/AUTISM.1.ANR.html 10)Pediatric Psychopharmacology: Autism http://www.vh.org/adult/provider/psychiatry/CPS/41.html 11)Progress in the Neurobiology of Autism http://www.cme-reviews.com/CNS398_rapin.html 12)Secretin: A Treatment for Autism? (Autism Biomedical Information Network) http://www.autism-biomed.org/secretin.htm 13)Secretin Information (Autism Research Institute) http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/secretin2.html 14)The Use of Secretin to Treat Autism (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) http://www.nih.gov/redirect/nichd-redirect.html