Sensory Nerves Vs Autism–Are There Any Ties?
Written by Ritika Jhawar
Edited by Priya Ram
Jan 18, 2021
Edited by Priya Ram
Jan 18, 2021
Every day begins with you smelling, tasting, sensing, touching, or hearing something. These are your five basic senses that allow you to interact with the world. Depending on each person, these five forms of perception have multiple degrees of variability; some people have better eyesight, others can hear more, etc. How do neurological disorders like autism change the way someone perceives the world?
In the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, a study was published where scientists at the National Taiwan University Hospital studied how sensory perception was affected by those who did and did not have autism. There is currently no known cause for autism, but doctors do know that it is caused by abnormalities in the brain. The purpose of the study was to discover whether any of the senses could be affected by neurological disorders. After performing multiple trials, researchers concluded that some people with autism had reduced nerve fiber density, and these people were more likely to have a higher pain tolerance. In addition, they discovered that those with autism and nerve fiber damage preferred going barefoot or could be unaware of certain types of physical harm on their bodies. This contrasted with patients having autism without any nerve fiber damage, as they described their discomfort when being touched or poked. This correlates with what is already known about the nervous system because when nerves degenerate, it allows for higher sensation threshold levels. On the other hand, people with autism and no nerve fiber damage have lower pain tolerance levels because they are more reactive.
The studies overall concluded that there is a tie between sensory perception and autism, and depending on the level of nerve deterioration, sensory reactions will be affected. One limitation of this study was that all the participants with autism were males in their mid-thirties, so the results cannot be generalized to the overall population of people with autism. In order to generalize these findings, there has to be much more in-depth research conducted.
Works Cited
American Academy of Neurology. "Nerves that sense touch may play role in autism." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 October 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201014160516.htm>.