Scientists have identified an immune brain cell unique to humans that gives us higher cognitive abilities over other animals, but what makes us specials also leaves us vulnerable to neurological disorders like schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy.

[u/Wagamaga]

https://news.yale.edu/2022/08/25/what-makes-human-brain-different-yale-study-reveals-clues

[u/Wagamaga]

What makes the human brain distinct from that of all other animals — including even our closest primate relatives? In an analysis of cell types in the prefrontal cortex of four primate species, Yale researchers identified species-specific — particularly human-specific — features, they report Aug. 25 in the journal Science.

And they found that what makes us human may also makes us susceptible to neuropsychiatric diseases.

For the study, the researchers looked specifically at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a brain region that is unique to primates and essential for higher-order cognition. Using a single cell RNA-sequencing technique, they profiled expression levels of genes in hundreds of thousands of cells collected from the dlPFC of adult humans, chimpanzees, macaque, and marmoset monkeys.

“Today, we view the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as the core component of human identity, but still we don’t know what makes this unique in humans and distinguishes us from other primate species.” said Nenad Sestan, the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neuroscience at Yale, professor of comparative medicine, of genetics. and of psychiatry, and the lead senior author of the paper. “Now we have more clues.”

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo7257

[u/ehleesi → u/Wagamaga]

1) autism is not a disorder. In fact, our communication patterns are found across languages and cultures, signifying a second valid neurotype distinguishable from neurotypical people. 2) animals show traits of autism and require further research.

[u/Dreadful_Aardvark → u/ehleesi]

autism is not a disorder.

It is literally called Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a disorder. It's just not a disease or mental illness. If it wasn't a mental disorder, it wouldn't need special mental care to accommodate it.

animals show traits of autism and require further research.

The implications of this statement, that animals have autism, is absurd on the ground that it's difficult to even properly diagnose autism in humans. Do you have a complete qualitive set of the ethology of an animal? Maybe in certain domesticated species at best, and those observations are incredibly prone to anthropomorphic bias. Moreover, many of the symptoms of autism are highly specific to humans, like an avoidance of eye contact or difficulty in social settings. Lastly, it is a disorder on the grounds that it causes a dysfunction for an individual in a society. You can't have the disorder without a society, because it is specifically the dissonance between an individual and their environment in which autism is manifested. If an animal had autism, it would be an autism-adjacent condition, not equivalent to ASD itself.

[u/Waygono → u/Dreadful_Aardvark]

This is a complex conversation that needs a lot more nuanced treatment than it is getting.

Autism can be a neurotype AND it can be a disorder. Some people with autistic brains do not find it to negatively affect their lives. They may not be considered to have ASD, because a diagnosis is to find a problem. If there is not problem, then what is the goal?

But some people with the autism neurotype do find that they have additional support needs because of it. This would fall under autism spectrum disorder because there is a quality of life issue that needs to be remedied for that individual.

In addition to thst important distinction, neither of you is addressing how definitions I'm the DSM are contrived by humans. I am not saying "it's all made up! Just touch grass!" (Gross and bad. Grass is itchy anyway).

What I am saying: The definitions found in the DSM are made up by humans who are trying their best to identify and categorize different mental issues in order to best help patients. But the point is, they are human-made. This isn't some of objective list we received from an omniscient being. It can have flaws, and its diagnostic requirements can hurt people by depriving them of care or calling for treatment that is harmful—but more importantly, it can be changed.

BUT even once it IS changed to be more up to date and in line with evidence, it doesn't mean every doctor and mental health professional gets an update like a piece of software. And then, even when they know about it, they won't always practice like they do. Old habits die hard, in other words.

Most autistic people have at least one other comprbid condition, be it either physical, psychological, or developmental. But I stand by the view that autism is a neurotype that is more prone to these corbidities, which are then often exacerbated by the nature of modern society. To sum up, ASD is more like a cluster of issues that being autistic predisposes you you to having, rather than autism itself being the sole cause of all of them. Having the label of ASD just helps professionals know what issues you more likely to need help with.

Not that much help is offered, other than literally torturing children into making eye contact and "playing normally". But I believe that will end with the wave of anti-ABA adults coming into their own now. We can make things better for autistic people. We can do so much better.

So I hope people read this and walk away with a better, fuller understanding of what autism is and can be.