• Nerves that sense touch may play role in

    From ScienceDaily@1337:3/111 to All on Wed Oct 14 21:30:42 2020
    Nerves that sense touch may play role in autism

    Date:
    October 14, 2020
    Source:
    American Academy of Neurology
    Summary:
    Autism is considered a disorder of the brain. But a new study
    suggests that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that
    control our sense of touch, pain and other sensations, may play
    a role as well.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Autism is considered a disorder of the brain. But a new study suggests
    that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that control our sense of
    touch, pain and other sensations, may play a role as well. The exploratory study is published in the October 14, 2020, online issue of Neurology(R),
    the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.


    ========================================================================== "More than 70% of people with autism have differences in their
    sensory perception," said study author Sung-Tsang Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D.,
    of National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei and a Fellow of the
    American Academy of Neurology. "For some people, even a light touch can
    feel unbearable while others may not even notice a cut on their foot. If
    larger studies can confirm these results, it is possible that further
    insight into the peripheral nervous system could help us understand how
    this disorder develops and potentially light the way for treating these distressing sensory symptoms that most people with autism experience."
    The study involved 32 men with autism with an average age of 27. They
    were compared to 27 men and women with an average age of 33 who did not
    have autism or any diseases that would affect their peripheral nerves.

    The people with autism completed questionnaires on their sensory
    symptoms. All of the participants had tests of their sensory nerves,
    including skin biopsies to look for damage to the small fibers in their
    nerves. In another test, heat pulses were applied to the skin. Researchers looked at the electrical signals produced by the nerves to see how they
    respond to the heat.

    On the skin biopsy test, 53% of the people with autism had reduced nerve
    fiber density, while all of the people in the control group had levels in
    the normal range. People who had reduced nerve fiber density also were
    more likely to report feeling pain from the heat stimulus at a higher temperature than the control group.

    "This indicates that the nerves have degenerated, similar to what
    happens for people with the condition of peripheral neuropathy, where
    the threshold for feeling heat and other sensations is higher than for
    other people," Hsieh said.

    The study also found that the response to touch in people with autism
    differed according to whether or not they had nerve fiber damage. People
    who had normal nerves were more likely to say they disliked being touched
    and were uncomfortable with some textures, while people with nerve fiber
    damage were more likely to say they preferred going barefoot and could
    be unaware that they had gotten scratched or bruised.

    Beyond its small size, another limitation of the study is that all of
    the participants with autism were male so the results may not apply to
    everyone with autism.

    The study was supported by National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan
    Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and National
    Health Research Institutes.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Academy_of_Neurology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Yi-Ling Chien, Chi-Chao Chao, Shao-Wei Wu, Hsueh-Wen Hsueh,
    Yen-Nan Chiu,
    Wen-Che Tsai, Susan Shur-Fen Gau, Sung-Tsang Hsieh. Small fiber
    pathology in autism and clinical implications. Neurology, Oct. 14,
    2020; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010932 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201014160516.htm

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