The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism
Autism is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder with a polygenetic predisposition that seems to be triggered by multiple environmental factors during embryonic and/or early postnatal life. While significant advances have been made in identifying the neuronal structures and cells affected, a unif...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2007-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.01.1.1.006.2007/full |
| _version_ | 1811259328281182208 |
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| author | Henry Markram |
| author_facet | Henry Markram |
| author_sort | Henry Markram |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Autism is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder with a polygenetic predisposition that seems to be triggered by multiple environmental factors during embryonic and/or early postnatal life. While significant advances have been made in identifying the neuronal structures and cells affected, a unifying theory that could explain the manifold autistic symptoms has still not emerged. Based on recent synaptic, cellular, molecular, microcircuit, and behavioral results obtained with the valproic acid (VPA) rat model of autism, we propose here a unifying hypothesis where the core pathology of the autistic brain is hyper-reactivity and hyper-plasticity of local neuronal circuits. Such excessive neuronal processing in circumscribed circuits is suggested to lead to hyper-perception, hyper-attention, and hyper-memory, which may lie at the heart of most autistic symptoms. In this view, the autistic spectrum are disorders of hyper-functionality, which turns debilitating, as opposed to disorders of hypo-functionality, as is often assumed. We discuss how excessive neuronal processing may render the world painfully intense when the neocortex is affected and even aversive when the amygdala is affected, leading to social and environmental withdrawal. Excessive neuronal learning is also hypothesized to rapidly lock down the individual into a small repertoire of secure behavioral routines that are obsessively repeated. We further discuss the key autistic neuropathologies and several of the main theories of autism and re-interpret them in the light of the hypothesized <i>Intense World Syndrome.</i> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:29:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03806bbe8b1944f2afc5d4d30d859596 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:29:46Z |
| publishDate | 2007-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-03806bbe8b1944f2afc5d4d30d8595962022-12-22T03:21:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2007-10-01110.3389/neuro.01.1.1.006.2007155The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autismHenry Markram0Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneAutism is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder with a polygenetic predisposition that seems to be triggered by multiple environmental factors during embryonic and/or early postnatal life. While significant advances have been made in identifying the neuronal structures and cells affected, a unifying theory that could explain the manifold autistic symptoms has still not emerged. Based on recent synaptic, cellular, molecular, microcircuit, and behavioral results obtained with the valproic acid (VPA) rat model of autism, we propose here a unifying hypothesis where the core pathology of the autistic brain is hyper-reactivity and hyper-plasticity of local neuronal circuits. Such excessive neuronal processing in circumscribed circuits is suggested to lead to hyper-perception, hyper-attention, and hyper-memory, which may lie at the heart of most autistic symptoms. In this view, the autistic spectrum are disorders of hyper-functionality, which turns debilitating, as opposed to disorders of hypo-functionality, as is often assumed. We discuss how excessive neuronal processing may render the world painfully intense when the neocortex is affected and even aversive when the amygdala is affected, leading to social and environmental withdrawal. Excessive neuronal learning is also hypothesized to rapidly lock down the individual into a small repertoire of secure behavioral routines that are obsessively repeated. We further discuss the key autistic neuropathologies and several of the main theories of autism and re-interpret them in the light of the hypothesized <i>Intense World Syndrome.</i>http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.01.1.1.006.2007/fullASD autism spectrum disordersconnectivityExpressionmircocircuitNeocortexplasticity |
| spellingShingle | Henry Markram The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism Frontiers in Neuroscience ASD autism spectrum disorders connectivity Expression mircocircuit Neocortex plasticity |
| title | The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| title_full | The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| title_fullStr | The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| title_full_unstemmed | The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| title_short | The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| title_sort | intense world syndrome an alternative hypothesis for autism |
| topic | ASD autism spectrum disorders connectivity Expression mircocircuit Neocortex plasticity |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.01.1.1.006.2007/full |
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