SOURCE: University of Bath, news release, April 2, 2009 )
THURSDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of a stress hormone may be
responsible for the obsession with routine and dislike for new experiences
common in children with a certain type of autism.
U.K. researchers found that children with Asperger syndrome (AS) do not
experience the normal twofold increase of cortisol upon waking up. Levels of
the hormone in their bodies do continue to decrease throughout the day,
though, just as they do in those without the syndrome.
The body produces cortisol, among other hormones, in stressful situations.
Cortisol increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels, among other
duties, to signal the body's need to adapt to changes occurring around it.
It's thought that the increase shortly after waking helps jump-start the
brain for the day ahead, the researchers said.
People with Asperger syndrome notably have very repetitive or narrow
patterns of thought and behavior, such as being obsessed with either a
single object or topic. Though tending to become experts in this limited
domain, they have otherwise very limited social skills, according to the
study.
"Although these are early days, we think this difference in stress hormone
levels could be really significant in explaining why children with AS are
less able to react and cope with unexpected change," study co-leader Mark
Brosnan, from the psychology department at the University of Bath, said in a
news release issued by the school.
If these Asperger symptoms are caused primarily by stress, caregivers could
learn to steer children away from situations that would add to anxiety, the
researchers said.
"This study suggests that children with AS may not adjust normally to the
challenge of a new environment on waking," study researcher David Jessop,
from the University of Bristol, said in the news release. "This may affect
the way they subsequently engage with the world around them."
The researchers, whose findings were published in the journal *
Psychoneuroendocrinology*, will next study if this lack of cortisol upon
waking also occurs in children with other types of autism.
*More information*
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more
about Asperger
syndrome<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm>.
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm)
THURSDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of a stress hormone may be
responsible for the obsession with routine and dislike for new experiences
common in children with a certain type of autism.
U.K. researchers found that children with Asperger syndrome (AS) do not
experience the normal twofold increase of cortisol upon waking up. Levels of
the hormone in their bodies do continue to decrease throughout the day,
though, just as they do in those without the syndrome.
The body produces cortisol, among other hormones, in stressful situations.
Cortisol increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels, among other
duties, to signal the body's need to adapt to changes occurring around it.
It's thought that the increase shortly after waking helps jump-start the
brain for the day ahead, the researchers said.
People with Asperger syndrome notably have very repetitive or narrow
patterns of thought and behavior, such as being obsessed with either a
single object or topic. Though tending to become experts in this limited
domain, they have otherwise very limited social skills, according to the
study.
"Although these are early days, we think this difference in stress hormone
levels could be really significant in explaining why children with AS are
less able to react and cope with unexpected change," study co-leader Mark
Brosnan, from the psychology department at the University of Bath, said in a
news release issued by the school.
If these Asperger symptoms are caused primarily by stress, caregivers could
learn to steer children away from situations that would add to anxiety, the
researchers said.
"This study suggests that children with AS may not adjust normally to the
challenge of a new environment on waking," study researcher David Jessop,
from the University of Bristol, said in the news release. "This may affect
the way they subsequently engage with the world around them."
The researchers, whose findings were published in the journal *
Psychoneuroendocrinology*, will next study if this lack of cortisol upon
waking also occurs in children with other types of autism.
*More information*
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more
about Asperger
syndrome<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm>.
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm)