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Review
. 2023 Aug 31;59(9):1584.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59091584.

A Spectrum of Solutions: Unveiling Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Manage Autism Spectrum Disorder

Arunima Mondal  1 , Rashi Sharma  2 , Umme Abiha  3   4 , Faizan Ahmad  5 , Anik Karan  6 , Richard L Jayaraj  7 , Vaishnavi Sundar  8
Affiliations
Review

A Spectrum of Solutions: Unveiling Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Manage Autism Spectrum Disorder

Arunima Mondal et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that causes difficulty while socializing and communicating and the performance of stereotyped behavior. ASD is thought to have a variety of causes when accompanied by genetic disorders and environmental variables together, resulting in abnormalities in the brain. A steep rise in ASD has been seen regardless of the numerous behavioral and pharmaceutical therapeutic techniques. Therefore, using complementary and alternative therapies to treat autism could be very significant. Thus, this review is completely focused on non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions which include different diets, supplements, antioxidants, hormones, vitamins and minerals to manage ASD. Additionally, we also focus on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, herbal remedies, camel milk and cannabiodiol. Additionally, we concentrate on how palatable phytonutrients provide a fresh glimmer of hope in this situation. Moreover, in addition to phytochemicals/nutraceuticals, it also focuses on various microbiomes, i.e., gut, oral, and vaginal. Therefore, the current comprehensive review opens a new avenue for managing autistic patients through non-pharmacological intervention.

Keywords: ASD; microbiome; neurodevelopmental disorder; neurotherapeutics; nutritional therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nutritional therapy attunes mitochondrial dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder. In autism, the amygdala and hippocampus are affected, and gastrointestinal complications are seen. Microglia activation leads to electron transport chain (ETC) dysfunction, which results in mtDNA damage, and oxidative stress leads to dysfunction of the Nrf2 pathway and natural products like curcumin, resveratrol, etc., resulting in inactivation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway. Two outcomes are seen: (a) the transcription of antioxidant genes and (b) the increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linkage between ASD and oral, gut, and vaginal microbiomes, along with different factors affecting pathways and their effects on neuroinflammation and metabolic disruption.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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