Autonomic Dysfunction and Autism: Subtypes and Clinical Perspectives

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social communication, restrictive interests and stereotypical repetitive behaviors. It is known that over-activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nerve system (ANS) on a background of deficient parasympathetic tone is related to social, emotional and cognitive behaviors in autistic people. Different autonomic features have been linked to distinct phenotypes of autism. This review demonstrates a novel method to distinguish autism subtypes and comorbidities using autonomic indices combined with neurotransmitters and neuroimaging patterns. The clinical applications and future perspectives of autonomic indices as promising diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers are also discussed here. [N A J Med Sci. 2016;9(4):172-180.   DOI: 10.7156/najms.2016.0904172] Key Words: autism spectrum disorder, autonomic dysregulation, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, autistic subtype