Propionic Acid: a Potential Link Between Pain Perception and Self-injurious Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

It is speculated that individuals on the autism spectrum who engage in chronic self injurious behaviors have a dysregulation of pain perception in the form of altered pain thresholds, impaired pain expression, and/or disrupted pain signaling. Propionic acid, a short chain fatty acid, is known to alter behavior and gene expression, and modulate immune function. The focus of this paper is to determine whether or not increased levels of propionic acid has an effect—direct or indirect—on pain response, thereby decreasing self-injurious behavior in individuals with ASD. Proper therapeutic nutritional supports for neurologic and gastrointestinal dysfunction may modulate inflammatory and immunological responses, normalizing maladaptive behaviors as well as dampening pain responses.