Brain opioids and autism: An updated analysis of possible linkages

Sahley, Tony L.; Panksepp, Jaak

doi:10.1007/bf01495056

Cited by 98 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…This research included an early demonstration of separation distress alleviation using low-dose morphine in canine puppies (Panksepp, Herman, Conner, Bishop, & Scott, 1978)-one of many publications in this area, which fit in with his youthful goal of understanding emotions as the route to understanding psychopathology. Jaak's work with opioids eventually led to his contributions to the treatment of autistic children with naltrexone (an opioid blocker; e.g., see Sahley & Panksepp, 1987).…”

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confidence: 99%

A Tribute to Jaak Panksepp (1943–2017)

Davis¹,

Montag

2018

Personality Neuroscience

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This article gives a short overview on the life and achievements of Jaak Panksepp. Jaak Panksepp dedicated his life to the study of mammalian emotions. By means of electrical stimulation of the brain and psychopharmacological challenges he carved out seven primary emotional systems being highly conserved across different species of mammals including homo sapiens. The primary emotional systems are called SEEKING, CARE, LUST, PLAY (positive emotions), and FEAR, RAGE, SADNESS (negative emotions). While his early career was characterized by the direct study of these primary emotions in mammals, in his late career he invested more and more time in applying his knowledge to different fields of psychology including personality neuroscience and psychiatry. Jaak started his college education as an engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh but soon switched to clinical psychology. To help finance his college education, he took a job on a psychiatric hospital ward where he had the opportunity to study patients first hand by interacting with them as well as reviewing their clinical files. It was such experience that gave this gifted student the insight that the key to understanding psychopathology and human behavior was first to understand emotions, an insight more likely to be made by an idealistic young mind given the behavioristic and learning theory zeitgeist prevailing in American psychology at that time. His insight led him to pursue a graduate career in (what today would be called) the neuroscience of emotions at the University of Massachusetts. However, Jaak's further insight was that the way to understand human emotions was to begin with animal experimental brain research. He realized that brain science techniques had developed the tools to support "preclinical" research that could help clinical psychology escape the orbit of traditional speculation-based clinical theory into a new sphere in which psychiatric treatments could be based on brain research-this was very much in the tradition of Ivan Pavlov.This was the mindset that the young Jaak took into graduate school where Jay Trowill, his major professor, gave him the space to explore his insights through experimental brain research. In this setting, Jaak began building on the work of pioneers like Hess (1957) to understand what emotional insights could be revealed by probing the rat hypothalamus. Among other things, he discovered that two kinds of aggression could be elicited through the electrical stimulation of the brain to discrete regions of the rat hypothalamus: the first type was an anger-type attack (RAGE) provoked in nature by bodily restraint (like when captured by a predator), or the protection of resources necessary for living (such as food); the second type would later be called a quiet-biting attack that was a function of the SEEKING system and in this case an extension of dopaminergic foraging behavior manifested as predation (Panksepp & Trowill, 1971). Electrical stimulation of the brain, which Jaak would use as a tool throughout...

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confidence: 99%

A Tribute to Jaak Panksepp (1943–2017)

Davis¹,

Montag

2018

Personality Neuroscience

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“…The opioid activity of these compounds mimicking other more well-known analgesics led in part to the suggestion of an opioidexcess (34) potentially present in some cases of autism. Based on the early work highlighting increased endorphin activity linked to cases (35) and the presentation of certain behaviours, the suggestion that foods containing gluten and casein may be a source of external morphine-like compounds took hold accompanied by initial evidence on a positive effect from removal of gluten-and caseincontaining foods from the diets of people with autism (36) .…”

Section: Autism and The Metabolism Of Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional management of (some) autism: a case for gluten- and casein-free diets?

Whiteley¹

2014

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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Autism spectrum disorders represent a diverse and heterogeneous array of conditions unified by the variable presence of specific behaviours impacting social and communicative functions (social affect) alongside other presentation. Common overt characteristics may come about as a consequence of several different genetic and biological processes differentially manifesting across different people or groups. The concept of plural 'autisms' is evolving, strengthened by an increasingly important evidence base detailing different developmental trajectories across the autism spectrum and the appearance of comorbidity variably interacting with core symptoms and onwards influencing quality of life. Reports that dietary intervention, specifically the removal of foods containing gluten and/or casein from the diet, may impact on the presentation of autism for some, complement this plural view of autism. Evidence suggestive of differing responses to the use of a gluten-and casein-free diet, defined as best-and non-response, has combined with some progress on determining the underlying genetic and biological correlates potentially related to such dietary elements. The preliminary suggestion of a possible diet-related autism phenotype is the result. This review will highlight several pertinent aspects onwards to an effect of food in some cases of autism including research on the pharmacological activity of food metabolites, immune response, issues with gut barrier function and some contribution from the gut microbiota. These represent promising areas in need of far greater research inspection in order to potentially define such a diet-related subgroup on the autism spectrum.

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“…There is an "opioid hypothesis" suggesting that childhood autism may result from excessive brain opioid activity during the neonatal period which may constitutionally inhibit social motivation, yielding autistic isolation and aloofness (Sahley and Panksepp, 1987). Interestingly, some children with autism seem to feel less pain when compared with typically developed children.…”

Section: Opioid Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Valproic acid (Lance and Anthony, 1975) (Sovner, 1989) Carbamazepine (Donner and Frisk, 1965) (Gadow, 1992) Topiramate (Maryanoff et al, 1987) (Pellock, 2004) Antiopioid Naltrexone is an opioid www.intechopen.com Naltrexone (Martin et al, 1973) (Sahley and Panksepp, 1987) receptor antagonist with higher affinity for mu receptors than other opioid receptor subtypes. Nowadays, this drug is not used in ASD patients.…”

Section: First Publication In Asd Clinical Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%