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Is anxiety related to autism, and where is it in the brain?

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Anxiety is common in people with autism – but is is different than other types of anxiety or similar? Is it part of the autism phenotype? When does it start and what triggers it? Two new studies which use a longitudinal design and examine the links between autism features, anxiety symptoms and brain development are summarized this week. It shows that the amygdala is important, that some features of anxiety are core to ASD and some are separate, and it is related to autism features like insistence on sameness. This has implications for how anxiety is diagnosed and treated in those with ASD.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35871413/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9116934/?report=printable

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The waterbed around your brain (and its role in sleep)

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This week we have a very special guest:  Dr. Mark Shen from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has been leading the field in understanding the role that the fluid around the brain in autism.  This week he expands his research to show that this increase in extra – axial (around the brain) fluid is not limited to those with a family history of autism, and is seen both before and after a diagnosis.  This has implications for early detection of ASD, but more interesting, it may help explain why some people with autism have so many sleep issues.