Singapore, Oct. 21 -- Hamburg, October 2019

Dr. Orefice found that peripheral somatosensory neurons - neurons outside the brain that control the sense of touch - are key areas where autism-associated gene mutations have a critical impact. She showed how abnormal function of peripheral somatosensory neurons causes touch over-reactivity and how this over-reactivity during development contributes to altered brain function and some autism-related behaviors in mice.

Dr. Orefice's work changes how we think about the causes of ASD, providing a surprising revision of widely-held views that link ASD exclusively to brain function. She highlights peripheral somatosensory neurons as a possible novel therapeutic target for improving some ASD-related...