Author

Myles Vinci

Date of Award

2020

First Advisor

Erin McMullin

Second Advisor

Jessica Robbins

Abstract

In developing the prefrontal cortex, humans became capable of adapting beyond the limits of evolution. This ability allowed them to be able to take advantage of organisms with a less developed prefrontal cortex that had to rely on evolution to adapt to their changing situation. While this attribute, in all aspects, reeks of advantage and ultimate success, it has granted us the ability to make great change without the foresight and knowledge regarding the consequences of these changes. More recently, in using our intellectual abilities, we have made attempts to clean ourselves, removing some of our parasites. In doing so, we have overlooked the symbiotic relationship that we share with them, leaving us with increased instances of inflammation. This increased instance of inflammation is believed to be the cause of autistic spectrum disorder’s neural deficits. In understanding inflammations' role in autistic spectrum disorder, we will explore the neurologic and immunologic deficits associated with autistic spectrum disorder that may have ultimately been caused by the lack of foresight in the removal of some of our immune-suppressing parasites. In understanding the disorder and its symptoms we will also cover the diagnostic nature of ASD.

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