A strategic plan to identify key neurophysiological mechanisms and brain circuits in autism

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cover a large variety of clinical profiles which share two main dimensions: social and communication impairment and repetitive behaviors or restricted interests, which are present during childhood. There is now no doubt that genetic factors are a major component in the etiology of autism but precise physiopathological pathways are still being investigated. Furthermore, developmental trajectories combined with compensatory mechanisms will lead to various clinical and neurophysiological profiles which together constitute this Autism Spectrum Disorder. To better understand the pathophysiology of autism, comprehension of key neurophysiological mechanisms and brain circuits underlying the different bioclinical profiles is thus crucial. To achieve this goal we propose a strategy which investigates different levels of information processing from sensory perception to complex cognitive processing, taking into account the complexity of the stimulus and whether it is social or non-social in nature. In order to identify different developmental trajectories and to take into account compensatory mechanisms, we further propose that such protocols should be carried out in individuals from childhood to adulthood representing a wide variety of clinical forms.