What Is Autism?
2. Mechanism
As previously established, the mechanism of autism is unclear. It is believed to be due to maturation-related changes in the brain systems. In 2015, a review proposed that brain neuroinflammation and dysfunction can be caused by gastrointestinal inflammation, immune dysregulation, gut flora alterations, autonomic nervous system malfunction, and food metabolites.
Another review in 2016 concluded that neurological disorders such as autism can be attributed to the enteric nervous system to some degree. There is also some evidence autism may be caused by synaptic dysfunction where some synaptic pathways are disrupted by rare mutations. Studies in animal models have suggested that autistic symptoms are related to developmental steps that are dependent on activity dependent changes and activity in synapses. Teratogens that are related to autism are believed to act during the first 8 weeks of gestation.
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