AUTHOR=Nicolardi Valentina , Fanizza Isabella , Accogli Giuseppe , Scoditti Sara , Trabacca Antonio 

TITLE=Pain perception in autism. A study of sensory reactivity in children and adolescents with autism using quantitative sensory testing and psychophysiological correlates

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 19 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1543538

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2025.1543538

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=BackgroundHyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input is a diagnostic criterion for autism spectrum disorder; however, it is still not fully characterized, despite its relevance to patients' quality of life. When considering neurodevelopment, sensory reactivity in autism is often assessed through parental reports, with only a few pieces of evidence acquired using standardized protocols. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a standardized protocol used to quantify sensory function by assessing perceptive and pain thresholds with calibrated sensory stimuli. To date, only a few studies have used QST to investigate sensory reactivity in autism, with only one taking into account adolescents and none including children in the sample.MethodsWe aimed to study pain perception and in children diagnosed with autism using the QST protocol. Moreover, we sought to measure central reactivity to painful stimuli by recording electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to painful thermal stimuli to explore the relationship between subjective reactivity (i.e., reactions to sensory stimuli) and central processing of sensory stimuli (i.e., EEG responses). Finally, we aimed to explore the relationship between parents' reports, subjective reports, and EEG responses.DiscussionThis study will help to expand our previous knowledge concerning the sensory profile of children and adolescents with autism. Deepening our understanding of the relationship between perceptive thresholds in children with autism and the reactivity of the central nervous system, could help us understand the causal mechanism of the perceptual differences observed in autism.Study protocol identifierNCT06659731