Sensory features are common and impairing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there are few observational sensory assessments that are valid across ages. We used the Sensory Processing ...3-Dimensional (SP3-D) observed Assessment and parent-reported Inventory to examine sensory responsivity in 41 ASD and 33 typically-developing (TD) youth across 7–17 years. ASD youth had higher and more variable observed and reported sensory responsivity symptoms compared to TD, but the two measures were not correlated. Observed sensory over-responsivity (SOR) and sensory craving (SC) decreased with age in ASD, though SOR remained higher in ASD versus TD through adolescence. Results suggest that in ASD, the SP3-D Assessment can identify SOR through adolescence, and that there is value in integrating multiple sensory measures.
The gastrointestinal tract is the only internal organ to have evolved with its own independent nervous system, known as the enteric nervous system (ENS). This Review provides an update on advances ...that have been made in our understanding of how neurons within the ENS coordinate sensory and motor functions. Understanding this function is critical for determining how deficits in neurogenic motor patterns arise. Knowledge of how distension or chemical stimulation of the bowel evokes sensory responses in the ENS and central nervous system have progressed, including critical elements that underlie the mechanotransduction of distension-evoked colonic peristalsis. Contrary to original thought, evidence suggests that mucosal serotonin is not required for peristalsis or colonic migrating motor complexes, although it can modulate their characteristics. Chemosensory stimuli applied to the lumen can release substances from enteroendocrine cells, which could subsequently modulate ENS activity. Advances have been made in optogenetic technologies, such that specific neurochemical classes of enteric neurons can be stimulated. A major focus of this Review will be the latest advances in our understanding of how intrinsic sensory neurons in the ENS detect and respond to sensory stimuli and how these mechanisms differ from extrinsic sensory nerve endings in the gut that underlie the gut-brain axis.
This study explored the nature, prevalence, and developmental profiles of sensory processing disorders among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants comprised 119 children with ...ASD and 30 typically developing children and their parents. The Child Sensory Profile-2 was used to assess the children’s sensory processing characteristics. The children with ASD exhibited elevated sensory processing difficulties. Deficits were observed in all the sensory modalities among the children with ASD, except the visual processing modality. Age-related improvements were observed in most sensory processing domains, although non-significant differences were noted in three domains. These findings should enhance understanding of the sensory challenges faced by children with ASD and contribute to the development of individually tailored, targeted, and age-specific therapeutic interventions.
Acute pain signaling has a key protective role and is highly evolutionarily conserved. Chronic pain, however, is maladaptive, occurring as a consequence of injury and disease, and is associated with ...sensitization of the somatosensory nervous system. Primary sensory neurons are involved in both of these processes, and the recent advances in understanding sensory transduction and human genetics are the focus of this review. Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are important determinants of sensory neuron excitability: they are essential for the initial transduction of sensory stimuli, the electrogenesis of the action potential, and neurotransmitter release from sensory neuron terminals. Na
1.1, Na
1.6, Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 are all expressed by adult sensory neurons. The biophysical characteristics of these channels, as well as their unique expression patterns within subtypes of sensory neurons, define their functional role in pain signaling. Changes in the expression of VGSCs, as well as posttranslational modifications, contribute to the sensitization of sensory neurons in chronic pain states. Furthermore, gene variants in Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 have now been linked to human Mendelian pain disorders and more recently to common pain disorders such as small-fiber neuropathy. Chronic pain affects one in five of the general population. Given the poor efficacy of current analgesics, the selective expression of particular VGSCs in sensory neurons makes these attractive targets for drug discovery. The increasing availability of gene sequencing, combined with structural modeling and electrophysiological analysis of gene variants, also provides the opportunity to better target existing therapies in a personalized manner.
Few studies have compared atypical sensory characteristics and food selectivity between children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared oral sensory processing between children ...with (n = 53) and without ASD (n = 58), ages 3–11 years. We also examined the relationships between atypical oral sensory processing, food selectivity, and fruit/vegetable consumption in children with ASD. We found that more children with ASD presented with atypical sensory processing than children without ASD. Among children with ASD, those with atypical oral sensory sensitivity refused more foods and ate fewer vegetables than those with typical oral sensory sensitivity. The findings suggest that efforts to address food selectivity in children with ASD may be enhanced by including strategies that address oral sensory processing.
This study examined individual differences as well as the development of sensory processing difficulties in children with Williams syndrome (WS) using a cross-sectional (Experiment 1) and ...longitudinal design (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, a clustering approach of sensory processing scores suggested two groups. Experiment 2 showed that the clusters identified in Experiment 1 were not stable across development, especially for those with high sensory impairments at either time point. Yet, most children experienced high impairments in sensory registration at both time points, suggesting impaired registration is a core phenotype of sensory processing in children with WS across development. Possible mechanisms, limitations and implications are discussed.
Hyper-reactivity to sensory input is a common and debilitating symptom in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the neural basis underlying sensory abnormality is not completely ...understood. Here we examined the neural representations of sensory perception in the neocortex of a Shank3B
mouse model of ASD. Male and female Shank3B
mice were more sensitive to relatively weak tactile stimulation in a vibrissa motion detection task. In vivo population calcium imaging in vibrissa primary somatosensory cortex (vS1) revealed increased spontaneous and stimulus-evoked firing in pyramidal neurons but reduced activity in interneurons. Preferential deletion of Shank3 in vS1 inhibitory interneurons led to pyramidal neuron hyperactivity and increased stimulus sensitivity in the vibrissa motion detection task. These findings provide evidence that cortical GABAergic interneuron dysfunction plays a key role in sensory hyper-reactivity in a Shank3 mouse model of ASD and identify a potential cellular target for exploring therapeutic interventions.
It has been 25 years since the formalization of the Sensory Drive hypothesis was published in the
(1992). Since then, there has been an explosion of research identifying its utility in contributing ...to our understanding of inter- and intra-specific variation in sensory systems and signaling properties. The main tenet of Sensory Drive is that environmental characteristics will influence the evolutionary trajectory of both sensory (detecting capabilities) and signaling (detectable features and behaviors) traits in predictable directions. We review the accumulating evidence in 154 studies addressing these questions and categorized their approach in terms of testing for environmental influence on sensory tuning, signal characteristics, or both. For the subset of studies that examined sensory tuning, there was greater support for Sensory Drive processes shaping visual than auditory tuning, and it was more prevalent in aquatic than terrestrial habitats. Terrestrial habitats and visual traits were the prevalent habitat and sensory modality in the 104 studies showing support for environmental influence on signaling properties. An additional 19 studies that found no supporting evidence for environmental influence on signaling traits were all based in terrestrial ecosystems and almost exclusively involved auditory signals. Only 29 studies examined the complete coevolutionary process between sensory and signaling traits and were dominated by fish visual communication. We discuss biophysical factors that may contribute to the visual and aquatic bias for Sensory Drive evidence, as well as biotic factors that may contribute to the lack of Sensory Drive processes in terrestrial acoustic signaling systems.
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) tend to have sensory processing difficulties (Baranek et al. in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 47:591–601,
2006
). These difficulties include over- and ...under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli, and problems modulating sensory input (Ben-Sasson et al. in J Autism Dev Disorders 39:1–11,
2009
). As those with ASD exist at the extreme end of a continuum of autistic traits that is also evident in the general population, we investigated the link between ASD and sensory sensitivity in the general population by administering two questionnaires online to 212 adult participants. Results showed a highly significant positive correlation (
r
= .775,
p
< .001) between number of autistic traits and the frequency of sensory processing problems. These data suggest a strong link between sensory processing and autistic traits in the general population, which in turn potentially implicates sensory processing problems in social interaction difficulties.
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