Autism is often associated with complex tasks like social processing and language and the later-developing brain regions that control them. But what if autism is more rooted in the earliest developing and most reflex-like part of the brain – the brainstem?
Brainstem
Brittany G. Travers, PhD – Slide of the Week
The goal of this research was to determine how sensory features, such as increased or decreased sensitivity to the environment, are associated with the brainstem in autistic and non-autistic children
Sensory responses in autistic children are linked to a small under-explored region tucked deep down in the brain called the brainstem
The same external sensory stimulus – a flashing light, a hug, or hearing one’s name – can provoke a different reaction in every person.