How the Autonomic Nervous System May Govern Anxiety in Autism

Learn about the autonomic nervous system's role in anxiety and autism.

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Manuel F. Casanova is the SmartState Endowed Chair in Childhood Neurotherapeutics and a professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.

Dr. Emily Casanova is a neuroscientist who has studied autism for more than a decade and, more recently, has been studying the overlap between autism and hereditary connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. One of her current efforts concerns the study of an Ehlers-Danlos phenotype in carriers of Fragile X premutation and autonomic disorders in this population.
Emily Casanova earned her doctorate in Anatomy Science & Neurobiology from the University of Louisville’s Medical School.

00:00 - Intro
1:15 – Introduction to neuroanatomy
4:13 – Autonomic nervous system (ANS) composition and function
6:20 – Autonomic dysregulation in autism
9:20 – Stimming and SIB
13:20 – Study: Small fiber neuropathy
16:35 – Third brand of the ANS
17:55 – Clinical aspects of autonomic dysregulation in autism
19:10 – Common overlaps with anxiety
19:30 – Electrodermal response (EDR) and treatments
24:07 – Anxiety in autism
26:29 – Catatonia and autism
29:20 – Clinical tips for practitioners
32:50 – Interoceptive system and the central nervous system
35:06 – The insular cortex and emotions
36:55 – Autonomic arousal
37:53 – Study: Skin conductance (EDR)
39:00 – Analogies used to understand ANS composition and function
40:15 – The ANS and central nervous system
42:00 – Heart rate measure and analysis
44:19 – Study: TMS on baseline autonomic functions in autism
45:20 – Study: Prefrontal cortex TMS and autistic behaviors
48:24 – Summary, resources, and contact
50:00 – Q&A