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Possible Brain Opioid Involvement in Disrupted Social Intent and Language Development of Autism

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Neurobiological Issues in Autism

Part of the book series: Current Issues in Autism ((CIAM))

Abstract

The underlying premise of this chapter is that a major dysfunction of the autistic brain resides in neural mechanisms that elaborate social motivation and thereby social intent. Although substantive understanding of brain mechanisms that mediate social emotions remains meager, animal brain research on fundamental processes such as separation distress and rough-and-tumble play has now yielded enough knowledge that some provisional hypotheses concerning the etiology and treatment of autism can be generated. Basically, our psychopharmacological work has affirmed the special importance of brain opioid activity in the elaboration of various social behaviors and social emotions, and convergent lines of reasoning suggest that opioid receptor blockade should be effective in alleviating and/or reversing the progress of certain autistic symptoms. In addition to summarizing evidence pertinent to the opioid-excess hypothesis, we discuss the possibility that certain cognitive symptoms of autism, such as problems in language development, may secondarily reflect disruption of underlying social emotions that dictate the intensity of social intent in the developing organism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, 43403, USA

    Jaak Panksepp

  2. Coleman Memorial Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Tony L. Sahley

Authors
  1. Jaak Panksepp
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  2. Tony L. Sahley
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  1. University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Eric Schopler  & Gary B. Mesibov  & 

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Panksepp, J., Sahley, T.L. (1987). Possible Brain Opioid Involvement in Disrupted Social Intent and Language Development of Autism. In: Schopler, E., Mesibov, G.B. (eds) Neurobiological Issues in Autism. Current Issues in Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1992-2_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1992-2_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1994-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1992-2

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