AUTHOR=Anugu Vishal , Ringhisen John , Johnson Brian 

TITLE=Autism Case Report: Cause and Treatment of “High Opioid Tone” Autism

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.657952

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.657952

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> Neurobiological systems engineering models are useful for treating patients. We show a model of “high opioid tone” autism and present a hypothesis about how autism is caused by administration of opioids during childbirth.</p><p><bold>Main Symptoms:</bold> Clinical diagnosis of autism in a 25 year old man was confirmed by a Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) self-rating of 79, severe, and a Social Communications Questionnaire (SCQ-2) by the patient's father scoring 27. Cold pressor time (CPT) was 190 seconds—unusually long, consonant with the high pain tolerance of autism.</p><p><bold>Therapeutic Intervention and Outcomes:</bold> At naltrexone 50 mg/day SRS fell to 54 and SCQ-−2–9; both non-significant. CPT fell to 28, repeat 39 s. Improved relatedness was experienced ambivalently, understood as feelings never before experienced—causing pain. Non-compliance with naltrexone was followed by cutting open his palm and drinking alcoholically. Transference focused psychotherapy has helped him remain naltrexone—compliant while he works on issues of identity and relatedness.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The model suggests studies that could be conducted to both prevent and treat this form of autism.</p>