Autism and oxidative stress: Evidence from an animal model

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of impaired social interactions, de cits in verbal and nonverbal communication, and the appearance of stereotypic and sometimes self-injurious behaviors. These symptoms appear early and persist throughout the life of the individual (Rapin, 1997). The intensity of symptom manifestation varies along a continuum with mild but pervasive developmental disturbances at one end of the spectrum to severely retarded and compromised individuals at the other end. Patients with Asperger syndrome are higher functioning autistic individuals with impaired social skills but less severe language de cits. Some autistic individuals manifest exceptional skills for restricted topics, but these savant skills are embedded in an otherwise restricted behavioral repertoire that only serves to heighten their occurrence by contrast.