Abstract:

Autism spectrum disorder is a set of neuro-developmental disorders caused by a series of physiological and psychological factors which occurs in early life. The current evidence of the biological basis of autism spectrum disorders is analyzed from genetics, brain structure, nutrients and other aspects. Brain and body abnormalities formed in individuals early gestation could be crucial to autism spectrum disorders. These abnormalities affect postnatal development, specifically on physiological pathway such as neural activity, brain development, immune system, inflammatory reactions et. al. In the future researchers could try to stretch across different subtypes of autism spectrum disorders, ages and developmental stages to carry out a large-scale study which combines horizontal and vertical views.

Key words: autism spectrum disorders, physiological pathway, biological basis