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=Introduction: 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.  
Main Symptoms: 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.  
Therapeutic Intervention and Outcomes:  At naltrexone 50 mg/day SRS fell to 54 and SCQ – 2 to 9; both non – significant.  CPT fell to 28, repeat 39 seconds.  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.
Conclusion:  The model suggests studies that could be conducted to both prevent and treat this form of autism.