New Insights into Autism: Brain Studies and Molecular Signatures.

Researchers are investigating how autism alters neurons outside the brain, including touch and pain receptors, olfactory receptors, and the autonomic nervous system. Alterations to these peripheral neurons may help explain autism's characteristic traits, such as sensory changes, gut problems, and motor differences. Drugs that act in the peripheral nervous system could prove more effective and have fewer side effects than brain-based therapies, offering novel treatment targets.