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Neural Basis of Dysregulation of Palatability-Driven Appetite in Autism

  • Nutrition and the Brain (K Ohla, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

In research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cognitive, speech- and anxiety-related impairments have been the focus of the majority of studies. One consistently reported ASD symptom that has rarely attracted attention is disordered appetite. The goal of this paper is to assess whether ASD-related dysregulation of food intake impacts consumption of palatable foods, including sugar.

Recent Findings

Aberrant neural processing at the reward system level is at least partially responsible for excessive intake of palatable tastants, including sugar. Impaired oxytocin (OT) signaling likely contributes to the magnitude of this overconsumption.

Summary

Since intake for reward is generally elevated in individuals with ASD, one strategy to curb sugar overconsumption might utilize presentation of alternative palatable food choices that are more nutritionally adequate than sucrose. Furthermore, OT, which is clinically tested to alleviate other ASD symptoms, might be an effective tool to curb overconsumption of sugar, as well as — likely — of other excessively ingested palatable foods, especially those that have sweet taste.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Kerry Allen and Kathryn Laloli for their help in conducting animal experiments.

Funding

AK and PKO are supported by the DGC funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Anica Klockars, Tapasya Pal & Pawel K. Olszewski

  2. Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Pawel K. Olszewski

  3. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Allen S. Levine & Pawel K. Olszewski

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  1. Anica Klockars
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  2. Tapasya Pal
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  3. Allen S. Levine
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  4. Pawel K. Olszewski
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Correspondence to Allen S. Levine.

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Animal studies described in the article were approved by the institutional animal ethics committee at the University of Waikato.

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Klockars, A., Pal, T., Levine, A.S. et al. Neural Basis of Dysregulation of Palatability-Driven Appetite in Autism. Curr Nutr Rep 10, 391–398 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-021-00368-y

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