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The amygdala, cerebellum, and many other brain regions have been implicated in autism. [15]Unlike some brain disorders which have clear molecular hallmarks that can be observed in every affected individual, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, autism does not have a unifying mechanism at the molecular, cellular, or systems level.
A 2016 review concludes that enteric nervous system abnormalities might play a role in neurological disorders such as autism. Neural connections and the immune system are a pathway that may allow diseases originated in the intestine to spread to the brain. [293] Sleep problems affect about two-thirds of autistic people at some point in childhood.
Initially, it was thought that sleep was simply a mechanism for the body to "take a break" and reduce wear. Later observations of the low metabolic rates in the brain during sleep seemed to indicate some metabolic functions of sleep. [109] This theory is not fully adequate as sleep only decreases metabolism by about 5–10%.
Research suggests that less than six hours of sleep is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and high blood pressure. A new study now shows that shorter sleep duration could ...
The relationship between autism and memory, specifically memory functions in relation to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is an ongoing topic of research. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by social communication and interaction impairments, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.
A common presentation of sleep apnea in children with autism is insomnia. [67] All known genetic syndromes which are linked to autism have a high prevalence of sleep apnea. The prevalence of sleep apnea in Down's Syndrome is 50% - 100%. [68] Sleep problems and OSA in this population have been linked to language development. [69]
Developmental disorders are present from early life onward. Most improve as the child grows older, but some entail impairments that continue throughout life. These disorders differ from Pervasive developmental disorders (PPD), which uniquely describe a group of five developmental diagnoses, one of which is autism spectrum disorders (ASD ...
Further research has revealed that the protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway is crucial to long-term memory. If PKA or protein synthesis inhibition occurs at certain moments during sleep, memory consolidation can be disrupted [citation needed]. In addition, mice with genetic inhibition of PKA have been shown to have long-term memory deficits ...