The Neurobiology of Fear: Understanding Anxiety in Autism Spectrum disorder
           Publication:   Journal of Multiscale Neuroscience          DOI: https://doi.org/10.56280/

ORIGINAL RESEARCH  

Author Affiliation

      Lleuvelyn  A.  Cacha

      Graduate School 
      Research Coordination

      University of the East, Manila

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     Dolores Mirabueno

     College of St Benilde, De La Salle University

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     Lourdes P. Terrado

     Graduate School
     University of the East, Manila

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​​​​​​​     Received 9 July 2025

     Accepted 10 August 2025

     Online published  September 2025

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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder does not include anxiety as one of its core features, which has its own unique and additional level of complexity. The prevalence of anxiety disorder is not considered a core dimension , yet majority of individuals with autism exhibit clinically elevated levels of anxiety or suffer from at least one anxiety disorder, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. Individuals with anxiety are more susceptible to heightened and prolonged negative emotional states, which are indicative of potential dysfunctions within the brain systems responsible for regulating negative emotions. Anxiety is believed to have a neurobiological component, and considerable research has long been conducted to determine how its arousal impacts behavioral development in typical situations. Investigation has focused on the structural development of the amygdala implicated in the neurobiology of autism. An overview of the role of the prefrontal cortex in modulation of amygdala function is presented in this paper, as well how differences in amygdala and prefrontal cortex connectivity may play a role in influencing the presentation of anxiety syndrome in the context of autism spectrum disorder.

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Keyword: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), anxiety, amygdala, neural circuits, brain connectivity, functional connectivity, neural mechanisms, emotion regulation, anxiety pathways in autism

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Conflict of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest

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Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Neural Press.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the CC BY 4.0 license.

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