Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have long-term implications on functioning at multiple levels. In this perspective, we offer a brainstem-informed autism framework (BIAF) that traces the protracted neurobehavioral manifestations of ASD to early life brainstem dysfunctions. Early life brainstem-mediated markers involving functions of autonomic/arousal regulation, sleep-wake homeostasis, and sensorimotor integration are delineated. Their possible contributions to the early identification of susceptible infants are discussed. We suggest that the BIAF expands our multidimensional understanding of ASD by focusing on the early involvement of brainstem systems. Importantly, we propose an integrated BIAF screener that brings about the prospect of a sensitive and reliable early life diagnostic scheme for weighing the risk for ASD. The BIAF screener could provide clinicians substantial gains in the future and may carve customized interventions long before the current DSM ASD phenotype is manifested using dyadic co-regulation of brainstem-informed autism markers.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 759614 |
Journal | Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience |
Volume | 15 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 10 Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2021 Burstein and Geva.
Funding
This article was funded by the Neurodevelopmental Psychology Cathedra (NPC). The NPC had no involvement in the writing of the manuscript and in its implications.
Funders | Funder number |
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Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation |
Keywords
- arousal
- auditory brainstem evoked response (ABR)
- autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
- brainstem
- neonates
- respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)
- sensory processing
- sleep