Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct 1:445:120-129.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.039. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Peripheral Somatosensory Neuron Dysfunction: Emerging Roles in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Lauren L Orefice  1
Affiliations
Review

Peripheral Somatosensory Neuron Dysfunction: Emerging Roles in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Lauren L Orefice. Neuroscience. .

Abstract

Alterations in somatosensory (touch and pain) behaviors are highly prevalent among people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the neural mechanisms underlying abnormal touch and pain-related behaviors in ASDs and how altered somatosensory reactivity might contribute to ASD pathogenesis has not been well studied. Here, we provide a brief review of somatosensory alterations observed in people with ASDs and recent evidence from animal models that implicates peripheral neurons as a locus of dysfunction for somatosensory abnormalities in ASDs. Lastly, we describe current efforts to understand how altered peripheral sensory neuron dysfunction may impact brain development and complex behaviors in ASD models, and whether targeting peripheral somatosensory neurons to improve their function might also improve related ASD phenotypes.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; mouse models; peripheral sensory neuron; somatosensation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abraira VE, and Ginty DD (2013). The sensory neurons of touch. Neuron 79, 618–639. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Antoine MW, Langberg T, Schnepel P, and Feldman DE (2019). Increased Excitation-Inhibition Ratio Stabilizes Synapse and Circuit Excitability in Four Autism Mouse Models. Neuron 101, 648–661 e644. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aronoff R, Matyas F, Mateo C, Ciron C, Schneider B, and Petersen CC (2010). Long-range connectivity of mouse primary somatosensory barrel cortex. Eur J Neurosci 31, 2221–2233. - PubMed
    1. Atladottir HO, Thorsen P, Ostergaard L, Schendel DE, Lemcke S, Abdallah M, and Parner ET (2010). Maternal infection requiring hospitalization during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 40, 1423–1430. - PubMed
    1. Bader GG, Witt-Engerstrom I, and Hagberg B (1989). Neurophysiological findings in the Rett syndrome, I: EMG, conduction velocity, EEG and somatosensory-evoked potential studies. Brain Dev 11, 102–109. - PubMed

Publication types