Link between the skin and autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurological disorder. Although the etiologies of ASD have been widely speculated, evidence also supports the pathogenic role of cutaneous inflammation in autism. The prevalence of ASD is higher in individuals with inflammatory dermatoses than in those without inflammatory diseases. Anti-inflammation therapy alleviates symptoms of ASD. Recent studies suggest a link between epidermal dysfunction and ASD. In the murine model, mice with ASD display epidermal dysfunction, accompanied by increased expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines in both the skin and the brain. Children with ASD, which develops in their early lifetime, also exhibit altered epidermal function. Interestingly, improvement in epidermal function alleviates some symptoms of ASD. This line of evidence suggests a pathogenic role of cutaneous dysfunction in ASD. Either an improvement in epidermal function or effective treatment of inflammatory dermatoses can be an alternative approach to the management of ASD. We summarize here the current evidence of the association between the skin and ASD.

Characterizing Genetic Pathways Unique to Autism Spectrum Disorder at Multiple Levels of Biological Analysis

“…There are well-documented links between ASD and various immune-mediated conditions, with medical research focusing on the association with atopic dermatitis (i.e., eczema) [ 47 – 50 ]. Dysfunction of the immune system and inflammatory processes have been hypothesized to contribute jointly to ASD and skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis [ 51 ]; however, there is a dearth of literature apart from the current study which has explicitly identified gene clusters implicated in both syndromes.…”