Researchers have found that addiction among autistic individuals is rare. A newer study in Sweden suggests people with autism of average or higher IQ seemed doubly more likely to get addicted to drugs or alcohol as their friends are. The danger is greater for those who have ADHD.
In a study published in the journal Neuron, researchers from 3 US universities looked into the role that a certain brain protein, known as FMRP, acts in preparing the stage for developing addiction for cocaine. This same protein has played a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder.
Alcohol and most drugs of abuse share one thing: they alter the chemical balance in a part of the brain where intense sensation is produced.
Though researchers do not suggest a link between autism and cocaine addiction, they do indicate the two may stem from the actions of one protein, for FMRP is playing a role in cocaine addiction, if it's at normal levels in the brain; it plays a similar part in the development of autism, if absent or at uncommonly low levels.
No One Should Feel Forced To Live A Lifetime With Autism
Are You Satisfied with Only Treating Autistic Symptoms?
In a study published in the journal Neuron, researchers from 3 US universities looked into the role that a certain brain protein, known as FMRP, acts in preparing the stage for developing addiction for cocaine. This same protein has played a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder.
Alcohol and most drugs of abuse share one thing: they alter the chemical balance in a part of the brain where intense sensation is produced.
Though researchers do not suggest a link between autism and cocaine addiction, they do indicate the two may stem from the actions of one protein, for FMRP is playing a role in cocaine addiction, if it's at normal levels in the brain; it plays a similar part in the development of autism, if absent or at uncommonly low levels.
No One Should Feel Forced To Live A Lifetime With Autism
Are You Satisfied with Only Treating Autistic Symptoms?